A Bamboo Pc?
OK, it was a gimmick. The laptop launched at the Hanover computer fair in March, with a laminated bamboo casing around a pretty conventional computer won't make a dent in the rising tide of plastics sold around the world.
But it was a little demonstration of what can be done, and, if proof of bamboo's versatility were required, consider it proven.
Bamboo is surely the only plant providing sources of food, building materials and woven fabrics. One of Edison's early light bulbs had a carbonised bamboo filament. Its strength, resilience and cheapness make it a widely used scaffolding material throughout Asia. The fibres of bamboo poles have high strength both in tension and compression. Its compressive strength is roughly twice that of concrete and bamboo has roughly the same tensile strength to weight ratio as steel. And now there's a bamboo laptop!
Bamboo ticks lots of boxes for anyone buying eco-friendly items for the home. For a start, it's a highly sustainable raw material. Some species of bamboo grow at more than a metre every day. Local people can cut down as much as they need for carving, weaving, sawing or splitting and still have as big a forest at the end of the year as they had at the start. On the global warming question, since it comes from a plant source, any bamboo product contains a significant part of its weight in atmospheric carbon. Any plastic equivalent has added to the atmosphere's carbon level!
Another point; because it's natural, bamboo has variations in quality and appearance that make it difficult to use in most mass production processes. You can be pretty sure that a craftsman has produced any bamboo item you buy. If you go to a reputable source you'll also know that the craftsman got a fair wage for his or her work, and that no one was exploited by western buying power. Finally you'll be sure that the product you buy hasn't accumulated air miles in its journey from craftsman to your home.
With eco credentials as strong as these it's amazing that bamboo products can also be very beautiful. Picture a skilfully made bamboo box, lovingly lacquered with 15 layers of natural shellac. All natural, and really lovely.
In fact you don't have to picture anything. Here's a link to a UK supplier of eco friendly gifts and homewares. Check out the knife blocks in their kitchen accessories range. Bamboo box, natural lacquer, filled with bamboo skewers to provide containment for any shape of knife. Fantastic.
eco, bamboo and recycled gifts in the UK: www.biomelifestyle.com
