| Today, almost 1 million acres of forest disappear | | | | erosion, restoring soil, providing sweet edible shoots |
| each week. This alarming rate of deforestation is | | | | and removing toxins from contaminated soil. |
| forcing many world economies to rethink their | | | | Ecologists tout bamboo as a logical, renewable source |
| business and manufacturing practices. A seventy-foot | | | | of building materials. Many promote bamboo planting |
| tree cut for its lumber takes 65 years to replace. A | | | | for erosion prevention, and even to reverse the |
| seventy-foot bamboo cut for market can be | | | | effects of global warming. |
| replaced in less than 3 months, as bamboo is officially | | | | Bamboo helps reduce carbon dioxide gases blamed |
| recognized as the world's fastest growing plant. | | | | for global warming. Bamboo removes significant |
| Some species can grow 3 feet per day! | | | | quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, |
| Driven by the constantly-growing consumer demand | | | | which makes it a highly efficient plant, and conducive |
| for environmentally friendly products, many | | | | to fresh air. Being a grass, bamboo regenerates |
| bamboo-related companies are gaining momentum as | | | | without replanting after harvesting. |
| a reliable source for high quality and durable green | | | | Bamboo is a natural water control barrier. Because of |
| building materials. Consumers are choosing high quality | | | | its widespread root system and large canopy, |
| alternative building materials over traditional | | | | bamboo greatly reduces rain run off, preventing soil |
| non-sustainable products. Hybrid cars, recycled | | | | erosion. Bamboo can keep up to twice as much |
| materials, reusable energy sources, bamboo flooring; | | | | water in a watershed. Due to its high nitrogen |
| use of these products is exploding as consumers are | | | | consumption, bamboo helps mitigate water pollution, |
| recognizing the need to choose products of a | | | | making it a solution for excess nutrient uptake of |
| sustainable and regenerative nature. | | | | wastewater from manufacturing, livestock farming |
| The general population is becoming weary of | | | | and sewage treatment. |
| ever-decreasing hardwood forests and the threat | | | | Bamboo can restore degraded lands. It is a |
| that this deforestation poses to an already fragile | | | | remarkable plant and can be grown in soil damaged |
| global environment. Bamboo flooring is the logical and | | | | by overgrazing and poor agriculture practices. Proper |
| ethical choice. Since bamboo is termite, moisture and | | | | harvesting does not kill the bamboo plant, therefore |
| rot resistant, it functions extremely well as a prime | | | | topsoil is held in place. Because of its dense litter on |
| flooring material. | | | | the forest floor, it feeds topsoil creation, restoring |
| There are multiple types of bamboo floors sold that | | | | healthy agricultural lands for generations to come. |
| cater to unique tastes. Strand woven bamboo | | | | Traditional hardwood lumber trees, such as oak, |
| flooring is twice as resilient as regular wood flooring | | | | maple, and birch, take 40-50 years to regenerate. In |
| and has a hybrid grain that is between wood and | | | | the meantime, there is less oxygen produced, less |
| bamboo. Distressed bamboo floors look antique as if | | | | carbon dioxide consumed, and more soil runoff in the |
| they were pulled out of an old barn. Engineered | | | | spot where those trees were harvested – all |
| laminate bamboo floors are highly stable and great | | | | producing negative environmental effects. Our planet |
| for basements and in areas of varying humidity. | | | | is suffering from resource depletion, habitat loss, |
| Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth. It is | | | | species extinction, and ecosystem pollution. The |
| known to produce 30% more oxygen than a | | | | choice of bamboo flooring will greatly help reverse |
| hardwood forest of comparable size, while preventing | | | | those negative trends. |