Bamboo in the Kitchen

The use of Bamboo in the home has boomed in the past few years and the benefits of using bamboo in the kitchen are endless.  Unlike most other hardwood cutting boards, bamboo absorbs very little moisture and consequently does not shrink or swell making it a superior choice of material for cutting boards.  Bamboo is even harder then maple which means the cutting board will have less visible knife marks over time. Not only is bamboo 16% harder than maple but it is lighter than oak and easy to handle. Bamboo also has anti-bacterial properties that make it an ideal material for cutting boards and cooking utensils.

 Going Green in your kitchen is very easy with bamboo cutting boards and kitchen utensils. Many people are concerned about the environment and are trying to reduce their day to day use of potentially harmful plastics; these kitchen items are a great environmentally friendly, all-natural alternative to plastic cutting boards and kitchen utensils.

 Bamboo also holds the promise of a cost effective and ecologically responsible alternative to the widespread clear cutting of our world's precious rainforest. Bamboo is actually a grass that grows to a harvestable height of 60 feet in just 3-5 years, growing as much as 6 feet per day. It has an extensive root system that continually sends up new shoots and naturally replenishes itself. Bamboo does not require replanting.

Bamboo Facts

Growth

Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on Earth; it has been measured surging skyward as fast as 121 cm (47.6 inches) in a 24-hour period and can also reach maximal growth rate exceeding one meter (39 inches) per hour for short periods of time.  Many prehistoric bamboos exceeded heights of 75 meters (250 feet).

Unlike trees, all bamboos grow to full height and girth in a single growing season of 3–4 months.  During this first year the young shoots strike skyward supported by photosynthesis from the rest of the clump with no time to sprout their own branches and leaves.  Over the next year the pulpy wall of each Culm slowly dries and hardens, sprouting branches and leaves during the second year from juvenile sheathes that

form from each node.  Over the following year the Culm hardens still further shedding its juvenile sheaths and commencing its life as a fully mature Culm.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo

Environment

Bamboo is the fastest growing canopy for the re-greening of degraded lands, and its stands release 35% more oxygen than equivalent stands of trees.  Some bamboo even sequester up to 12 tons of carbon dioxide from the air per hectare.  Bamboo can also lower light intensity and protects against ultraviolet rays.  Traditional belief holds that being in a bamboo grove - the favorite dwelling place of Buddha - restores calmness to emotions and stimulates creativity. Source: Environmental Bamboo Foundation

Economy

Bamboo and its related industries already provide income, food and housing to over 2.2 billion people worldwide.  There is a 3-5 year return on investment for a new bamboo plantation versus 8-10 years for rattan.  Governments such as India, China and Burma with 19,800,000 hectares of bamboo reserves collectively, have begun to focus attention on the economic factors of bamboo production.

Commercial consumption of bamboo world over is to the tune of US $10 Billion which is expected to reach US $ 20 Billion by 2015.  Potential growth areas are shoots, boards, paper and pulp, furniture, building and construction. Source: Environmental Bamboo Foundation