The Holiday Season Goes Global

In keeping with the Cali Bamboo spirit of giving back to the planet and acting with the environment in mind, this month’s Greenshoots takes a look at the holiday season on a global scale. Read on to discover the vast variety of wintertime traditions celebrated around the world, and then check out ways you can make your holiday a little more Earth-friendly.
Have a wonderful holiday season, and a very happy New Year!

A Transcontinental Celebration

Many Venezuelans celebrate the holiday by attending an early morning Christmas mass on roller-skates! On the way to church, skaters tug at strings hanging outside of home windows which are attached to the toes of sleeping children within.

In Denmark, it is believed that a mischievous holiday elf named Nisse visits the towns and farms to play tricks on the villagers. He and his trailing elves, the Julenisse, must be appeased with rice pudding left outdoors.

Hanukkah festivities in Israel commemorate the eight nights that a small amount of oil kept the Temple lit during a great battle. Israelis celebrate this event by eating foods cooked in oil, such as sufganiya, a kind of jelly donut.

In China, mass celebrations are held to commemorate their most important traditional holiday, the Chinese New Year. In the days before the festivities begin homes are given a rigorous cleaning in order to sweep away the bad luck of the preceding year and prepare for new luck to fill the house. On the 15th day of the New Year children go out at night with lanterns, some of which have riddles on them for other children to solve.

France boasts not one but two Santas: a Pere Noel (Father Christmas), who brings gifts to children who have been good, and a Pere Fouettard (Father Spanker), who travels from house to house, giving the bad children spankings!

In hot, sunny South Africa families celebrate Christmas by wearing paper hats and holding braais (barbeques).

In New Zealand, children awake on Christmas morning to the sound of fire engine sirens. They then run outside to see Santa riding on the truck and throwing down candy. Because Christmas here takes place in the warm summer season, a traditional holiday meal is postponed until July.

5 Ways to Stay Green for the Holidays:

1. Opt for LED lights which are 90% more efficient than traditional lights. They also last up to 200,000 hours without omitting much heat. If all normal holiday lights were swapped for LEDs, we’d save at least two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a month. That could power 200,000 homes for a full year!

2. If you’re buying a Christmas tree, it’s better to go for the real thing. The vast majority of Christmas trees are grown on tree farms, so true forests are left undamaged. Artificial trees will last about 9 years, but are eventually thrown out and take centuries to decompose in landfills.

3. Recycle your Christmas tree. Old trees can be ground into mulch for gardens, playgrounds, and even used to prevent shore erosion.

4. Go easy on the wrapping paper, and always recycle old paper instead of tossing it in the garbage. You can also reuse old gift bags and use the comics as tissue paper.

5. Save up to 30% on your energy bill by sealing air leaks near doors and windows and by keeping your home well insulated.

Your Friends,

Thanksgiving’s Green Architecture

Just about every American knows the story of the first Thanksgiving in 1621– when the English Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth celebrated their first successful harvest with the Native Americans of the Wampanoag tribe. Their massive feast (which ended up lasting over 3 days!) is what we base our current Thanksgiving holiday around. Believe it or not, innovation and sustainability were there, right alongside the roast turkey at the first Thanksgiving. By incorporating a spirit of thanksgiving in the construction of their homes, the Native Americans of Massachusetts set a standard we can still aspire to today.

Wampanoag Construction: America’s First Sustainable Buildings

Through their intimate knowledge and appreciation of the environment, Wampanoag men and women built structures that worked with the land – never against it.

Smart Building: Two main building styles existed in Wampanoag culture.The small, round wetu (weh-t’oo), was used as a single family home with an exterior of cattail matting. This home’s round shape made it more resistant to storms and hurricanes, and allowed it to be heated evenly from an indoor fire. The larger 35’ foot nushweety (nuhsh weh t’oo) was covered in large sheets of insulating tree bark and served as a home for multiple families or tribe leaders.

Using Local Resources: An intimate understanding of nature was key. The Wampanoag knew that spring was the best time to collect the bark and small saplings needed to create building frames. Spring’s running sap made the wood moist and pliable, allowing it to be bent into the rounded house frame without breaking. Women collected, dried, and wove cattail reeds into mats used to shunt rain off the roofs and insulate the interior.

Natural Recylcing: When the homes became too worn to provide adequate protection, they were pulled down and returned to the Earth to decompose and revitalize the soil, thus allowing for the materials of future homes to grow. The Wampanoag saw this as a natural cycle of life in a land which gave them everything, and to them, thanksgiving was the act of acknowledging that taken life, by praying, singing, and holding ceremonies to honor it.

Sustainability: This Wampanoag way of life lasted for over 10,000 years — proof that sustainable living works! The Wampanoag nation numbered some 30,000 people before coming into contact with diseases brought by European settlers. The Wampanoag homeland included approximately 67 villages spanning out across what is now southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island.

We can find inspiration today in the way the Wampanoag lived their lives. By using renewable products like bamboo and environmentally-sound building techniques we will ensure our own culture thrives for many generations to come.

Learn more about Wampanoag building techniques and culture!

Your Friends,

Bamboo… A Solid Investment

As news of the economy continues to dominate the world’s attention, many are discussing ways to recharge the economy through innovative and environmentally sound methods. Entrepreneurs are now viewing clean energy plans as not only an ecologically kinder way to power our lives, but also as a means of creating a promising new market and thousands of high-tech, green energy jobs. Just as clean power can end up being the better choice economically, bamboo is a building resource which has proven to be a solid investment. Read on to discover how this dynamic plant manages to fullfill dual goals of being good for the planet and good for your wallet at the same time.

Cost-Effective Construction

Home projects do not have to break the bank. In building an outdoor fence, for example, before heading to your local home improvement mega-store, consider building more efficiently and cost-effectively with bamboo. You’ll be saving money in more ways than you might imagine.

Timber: When it comes to traditional hardwood fences – typically made of cedar or redwood – building a 6ft privacy fence can run you at least 14 dollars per foot, and usually much more. Using sustainable Cali Bamboo fencing, an 8ft tall fence can be constructed for this same price or less.

Installation: When building your fence, one way to cut costs is to install it yourself. However, if you’re dealing with a hardwood fence this can require a great deal of planning, heavy tool-use, time, and effort, but CaliBamboo fences are designed to be quick do-it-yourself projects, easily accomplished in one afternoon.

Style: Another cost-related factor to consider when selecting a fence is the style. Many prefer a more unique look using an ornamental or decorative fence, but this can run the price up significantly. Luckily, bamboo’s innate elegance and exotic flair guarantees each fence will bring a distinctive look to your yard.

Resilience: “Whatever type of fence you choose, make sure you take care of it.” says Texas fence expert, Richard Novigrod, who has ten years experience building fences. In order to save money spent on future upkeep and repairs, make sure your new fence is strong and durable. CaliBamboo fencing has stood the tests of time and nature, enduring floods, blizzards, category 3 hurricanes, and heat waves.

Preserving Land, Homes, and Infrastructure

“Running” bamboo (species with a spreading root system rather than a clumping one) form a dense, underground network of new stalks and roots making a very effective barrier to erosion. When planted along steep hillsides, streams, or gullies, the net-like root system can help stabilize the soil and prevent landslides. In the event of an earthquake, bamboo’s natural protective quality would have the capacity to save costly homes, buildings and city infrastructure. Science Daily reports that “the economic costs of landslides in the U.S. are conservatively estimated between $1 and $2 billion per year.” Imagine the taxpayer dollars that could be saved if bamboo were put to work in landslide-prone areas!

Cutting the Atmosphere’s Clean-up Bill

When it comes to the fight against global warming, every effort counts, not just in an environmental sense, but in a financial one as well. According to Forbes magazine, it will cost the U.S. economy about $150 billion a year to stabilize greenhouse gases by 2030. Believe it or not, bamboo can help! Due to its rapid growth rate, bamboo sequesters four times as much of the harmful greenhouse gas, CO2, as hardwood trees, and generates up to 35 percent more oxygen.

Preventing Deforestation

In many countries, bamboo has even helped to solve the urgent problem of deforestation — giving loggers a cheap and reliable alternative to cutting down trees used for traditional lumber. Unlike hardwood trees, which take centuries to mature, bamboo reaches maturity in 3 to 5 years and can therefore be cultivated on farms to provide a cost-effective, steel-like timber at a much faster rate. What’s more, the spread of bamboo farms and bamboo timber treatment plants has, in turn, created jobs for many living in poorer nations.

Read more in this article published by the United Nations

Your Friends,

BAMBOO GOES BACK to SCHOOL

No matter how old you are, September always summons memories of school year beginnings. Bamboo and other eco-friendly habits can play a role in the academic season. Read on to discover how this sturdy, versatile plant enabled a small community in Bangladesh to create a world-renown school. Want to bring an environmentalist attitude to your own community’s classrooms? We also offer several ways you and your family can stay green throughout the ’08-’09 school year.

Start the School Year Green!

You’re never too young to live green! Today’s children are inheriting tomorrow’s planet, making our kids the environmental movement’s most vital audience and participants. Eco-awareness can begin as early as kindergarten, and — without much effort or extra money – a few simple practices throughout the school year can ensure our youngest generation grows up with Earth’s well-being in mind.

- Opt for eco-friendly school supplies such as recycled paper notebooks.
- Help start a school recycling program.
- Use reusable lunchboxes instead of paper bags and Tupperware instead of plastic baggies.
- Prepare organic lunches that aren’t over packaged.
- Support green school fundraisers and field trips such as planting trees, beach clean-ups, or a visit to a local organic farm.

The School of Bamboo

Many teaching institutions today are beginning to envision new methods for unlocking a child’s unique potential. In Rudrapur, a village in northern Bangladesh, one such school exists. Dubbed the METI (Modern Education and Training Institute), it approaches a traditional curriculum with principles of positivity, environmental awareness, and meditation. Students are directly involved in the creation of their lessons in order to promote self-motivation and leadership – qualities which branched out to the entire village during the unique bamboo construction of the school itself.

Innovation Meets Tradition

Beginning with the modern designs of architects, Anna Heringer of Austria, and Eike Roswag of Germany, the construction of the METI became a project involving the entire community. In order to cut down on the pollution and expense of shipping materials into town, builders used a reliable, sustainable, and readily available resource – bamboo!

Because bamboo was a material the Rudrapur locals were familiar with, they were all able to lend a hand in the building process. Additional training was given to craftsmen in order to engrain specialist construction knowledge in the region – promoting employment and entrepreneurship.  As a result, regional identity was strengthened, and most of the town, including the schoolchildren, could find pride in the fact they had contributed to something great.

Sky-High Acclaim

With its beautiful bamboo design and inspiring construction story, the METI has attracted the attention of architecture communities around the globe, and was a recipient of the esteemed $500,000 Aga Khan award. In the words of the award’s jury, “This joyous and elegant two-story primary school in rural Bangladesh has emerged from a deep understanding of local materials and a heart-felt connection to the local community.”

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the building is how the school’s basic goal — to develop a child’s potential through creativity and responsibility — is reflected in its design, usage of sustainable bamboo, and collaborative building techniques.

Your friends,

BAMBOO PROVIDES GLOBAL AID

As Earth’s population grows and world resources disappear, the humanitarian challenges we face only become more urgent. Believe it or not, bamboo may be the key to solving many current crises, from sky-rocketing housing demands to natural disaster preparedness and water purification. Read on to discover how this simple plant could become the #1 ally in saving our species.

Bamboo Houses a Growing Population

According to UN reports, the world population passed 6.1 billion in 2001 and is expected to reach almost 10 billion by 2050. Today, 1.1 billion people are living with inadequate housing and an additional 100 million live with no home at all. Although many factors contribute to this crisis, a key reason is the scarcity and cost of building materials.

Bamboo, however, is the exception. It has the strength and durability of traditional timber, but can be grown in nearly any climate and costs far less to process. Scientific testing shows that bamboo’s ability to withstand quakes (past 7 on the Richter scale!) and floods outperforms even concrete! Inspired architects and engineers experimenting with sturdy, low-cost bamboo housing have been doing so with great success. Click here to learn more about the campaign for bamboo housing!

Visit www.calibamboo.com to outfit your own house with beautiful and durable bamboo!

Bamboo in the Face of Disaster

The need for adequate shelter is never so vital as during a natural disaster, where once again, bamboo has proved to be a saving resource. The Chinese government estimated after the recent catastrophic earthquake, that over one million temporary housing units were needed – prompting USC structural design professor Dr. Yan Xiao to get to work on a solution. The result of his effort is a building code-approved modular house made of bamboo veneer sheets which can be assembled in four hours by only four to six workers! The earthquake-proof home can comfortably shelter a family of four and costs less than $2000.

Xiao says, “Unlike tents, the bamboo quake relief house is insulated for heat and sound, is fireproof, allows residents to secure their possessions, and is more durable. Also, bamboo is a green and sustainable construction material, widely available in China and other Asian countries.” Click here to learn more about earthquake relief homes!

Bamboo Bikes to Africa

In addition to giving aid, training people to support themselves makes a powerful, long-term impact. That’s the idea behind the work of the Columbia University-based Bamboo Bike Project, a non-profit group of scientists and engineers who design ultra-strong bamboo bicycles and send them to communities in Ghana.Taking their efforts one step further, the organization has established training programs wherein local people learn how to make the bikes themselves and earn a living.

Once made, the specially-designed utility bikes can carry up to four people, improving transportation and healthcare delivery. One rider was even able to deliver two 110 pound bags of cement to a man building a house in a neighboring village. And this is only the beginning! The “Bamboo Bike Project,” plans on expanding their work to include more communities and training programs in the future. Click here to learn more about the Bamboo Bike Project!

Going Blue – Detoxifying Water with Bamboo Charcoal

Bamboo is improving lives right down to the water we drink! Scientists in Japan have recently discovered that bamboo charcoal powder is better at filtering nitrate-nitrogen out of drinking water than “commercial activated carbon,” the material normally used in the purification process. (Nitrate-nitrogen can enter groundwater from sewage disposal systems, farms with livestock, and fertilized land, and is especially harmful to infants.)
Researchers believe this bamboo product could be an attractive option for the treatment of contaminated underground and surface water here and in countries with an even more desperate need for clean water.

Your Friends,