Bamboo: a friend of soil and water

While bamboo does a lot for this planet on a large-scale level—such as helping fight global warming—it also contributes in more localized ways as well. Bamboo is a friend of both soil and water, and it can do a lot of good for its immediate environment. Let’s take a look at how bamboo contributes in this manner.

One example: Bamboo helps prevent soil erosion that occurs in flood plains, whether along riverbanks or on steep hillsides. Bamboo also can control landslides and keep flooded rivers along their natural course. It does this by slowing the speed of the river’s water flow. And, quite luckily, bamboo thrives in many watershed areas. The abundance of water makes the land around it a perfect place for bamboo to grow. And while this is good for bamboo, the benefit is mutual. Bamboo contributes to both soil and water retention, thereby helping the land that it calls home. A bamboo forest means healthy land.

In part, the reason that bamboo is so good for the land—the reason that it helps with water retention—is because of the potassium that it contains. Bamboo shoots are a great source of potassium, which is required for plant growth. Potassium promotes strong growth, a healthier root system, and, you guessed it, water retention.

For all of these reasons and more, bamboo is considered a great fertilizer, and is often used as such. Using bamboo as a fertilizer helps the soil retain more water. The result is a soil that is more chemically-balanced and oxygenated, which, in laymen’s terms, means healthier plants. But there’s more. The soil is improved in other ways too. Bamboo has a high level of gas production and circulation. This results in bamboo absorbing two thirds more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. And since plants and trees convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, this also means that bamboo produces 35 per cent more oxygen than most other trees, such as hardwoods. In addition, bamboo’s root system helps with preventing soil erosion, and it also improves the soil by removing any excess nitrogen.

For those of you now interested in trying out bamboo as a fertilizer, here’s how. It is really quite simple and there are two ways to go about it. Your first option: simply grow some bamboo in the actual area that needs the fertilizer applications. And your second option: just cut up a few bamboo shoots and spread the pieces throughout the area you want fertilized. Both options work well.  Happy gardening!

A Serious Sting: The Current Bee Colony Crisis

Photo from fOTOGLIF

The inner workings of bee culture are fascinating. From the way these little busy bodies work around the clock to their limbo lingo form of communicative dance. But did you know bees are an integral part of our livelihoods? Their cross pollination process is one of the main ways plants reproduce and diversify. And plants of course, are important for almost every reason in the book, from food to soil and water sustainability. Without them, living or even surviving would be a struggle.

Whether this is an intro to bee-cology for you or you’re a long time bee enthusiast, it may be time to brush up or fill your kids in on the fact that bees are rapidly disappearing.

When a bee on a scouting mission finds a source of pollen, it flies back to the hive to let the other workers know where to go. The scout performs a complex dance that explains the direction and distance of the pollen in relation to the hive. The individual workers stock up enough honey to fuel themselves for the journey there and back, and set off to collect the pollen. The fruit of their labour is then used to make more honey.

Of course, the success their mission depends on remembering where it is they’re headed, and bringing enough food to keep them going for the round trip. The scout’s choreography is extremely accurate, but the presence of genetically modified crops’ pollen is making this dancing duty difficult. This is lethal for the workers, and leads to Colony Collapse Disorder. The hive loses the workforce it needs to sustain itself.

Most genetically modified crops are designed to host Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) which is a natural insecticide used to fight crop-destroying bugs. Bees are not harmful to crops, in fact they are important players in the reproductive process of plants. However, Bt from the pollen of genetically modified crops is ending up in the bees’ food supply. While it won’t kill a bee directly, it elicits an immune response in the bee that consumes protein. The bees need this protein to form memories and learn effectively. Without them, the workers can’t judge how much honey to stock on their pollen runs, much less remember the instructions of the scout. Lost and starved, the worker bees die. Honey supplies diminish, and the hive falls into decline.

A sad but very true set of circumstances. Fortunately, knowledge is one of greatest tools to spark change. Letting your family and friends in on the many ways we can reduce our carbon footprint can help us all, even the littlest creatures.

Coming Soon to Grocery Stores Near You: the animated adventures of food

Vancouver-based animator and Vimeo member The Juki Museum created Home is where the food is for the 100-Mile Diet Society as a promotional piece to support local British Columbian produce, dairy, and seafood; and highlight some easy consumer choices we can all make to help reduce our eating habits’ environmental impact.

Mixing a cooking show with a documentary, accented by charming animated line drawings, the film explains how almost every ingredient in a delicious pasta recipe can be obtained locally without sacrificing the convenience of a supermarket. Even the narrator at one point is surprised by how easily she is able to acquire what she needs. The only exception is the butter, which comes from Quebec, and serves as an example to why buying locally is the greener choice: over three thousand kilometres’ worth of carbon emissions are released in transporting the butter to the west coast.

• http://www.getlocalbc.org/en/
• http://www.bcfarmersmarket.org
• http://www.actnowbc.ca/everyone/buy_local,_in_season_fruits_and_vegetables
• http://www.bcfarmfresh.com/

The Bamboo Warehouse: Ringing in the Next (re)Generation

Gerry Brumer of Bamboo Warehouse thinks big. His vision for how bamboo can potentially change our planet is inspiration to say the least. With this versatile resource on the brain and non-renewable resources like wood, plastics and steel off, Gerry and his company are educators first and foremost in environmentally friendly awareness.

In 2005, Gerry met with Michael Berlin, who was importing Asian antique furniture for a company he called Kipunji. Berlin proposed they utilize his already apt product sourcing skills to start a home furnishings company. Gerry agreed under the condition that it must be eco-friendly. Berlin showed Gerry a piece of bamboo he had brought back from China, and after sourcing a few suppliers, the two men hit the ground running with their idea. “We wanted to use bamboo in a different way, not just as flooring, but as a resource.”

China, Gerry tells me, has not only 1200 species of bamboo, but also the strongest, called Moso. This type of bamboo only grows in China, and naturally, it is ideal for flooring. Of course, sourcing from China also had its share of problems. Gerry soon realized that the bamboo flooring also scratched easily because the bamboo plywood’s finishing (glues, varnishing, oils) also came from China, meaning it had formaldehyde in it. It was then that Gerry conformed the Bamboo Warehouse to European standards, using formaldehyde-free European finishing products or leaving the plywood unfinished until they arrived in Montreal, leaving the company to control the level of carcinogenic components.

Also, having the ability to import the materials yet transform them locally allowed Gerry to ensure the finishing as well as custom design the product. Gerry tells me that having Bamboo Warehouse as the first company to introduce bamboo plywood to be transformed locally has really appealed to the public. Designers especially like working with bamboo for several reasons. Firstly, bamboo is new and exciting material to work with. On that same note, bamboo is also different from wood and therefore carries an exotic element appealing to many, not to mention its green chique-ness! Bamboo boards are available finished, prefinished or stained. Scratches on wood are stark and noticeable. With bamboo, a carbonization process allows the option for a lighter, more blonde hue to the boards, making scratches less conspicuous – a very attractive quality of bamboo boards indeed! Finally, designers appreciate the option of buying one rather than twenty boards at a time with Bamboo Warehouse, saving themselves and their clients from unnecessary costs.

Like Gerry, his employees are not sales representatives, but educators in the field. With so much misinformation out there, Gerry stresses the importance of awareness. “We give you the same attention and education whether you’re buying one piece or a hundred.”

When buying bamboo flooring, Gerry heeds one word of advice: “for the sake of your health, ask your bamboo retailer where their toxic finishing products come from and ask them for proof.” Most of Bamboo Warehouse’s products for example, are stamped “BONA”, an environmentally-friendly bamboo provider based in Sweden.

Understanding that nice flooring will always be more a luxury than a need, Gerry and Michael looked into other facets that compliment the sustainable benefits of bamboo.

Today, the Bamboo Warehouse is offering a wide variety of products made of bamboo see: www.bamboowarehouse.ca Gerry is so convinced of the versatility and eco-sustainability of bamboo as a resource, he predicts that within three years bamboo fibers may even replace paper money on account of the antibacterial element! “2010 is the year we get bamboo into markets no one could even imagine it being in!”

Warming our Hearts or Warming our Globe?

The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have come and gone, but what’s left behind may be more than an air of pride and patriotism. Advertisements and souvenir license plates still declare the city and province “the most beautiful place on earth.” Maybe it’s an enthusiastic expression of pride in line with Olympic team spirit more so than an unabashed statement of fact, but you can’t deny we live in a stunning corner of the globe.

Actions speak louder than words, and with green issues in the forefront of many Vancouverite minds, a bold and very public statement like that needed to be backed up with official deeds – enter solar powered pay parking ticket dispensers.  And let’s not forget GM providing around 4600 vehicles to the VANOC fleet for use in carrying out Olympic business.  About 33% of those were based on hybrid and other alternative fuel technologies, the rest incorporated cutting edge fuel efficiency processes in their engines.  A small handful of experimental and pre-production models also made it to the party.

However, it is unfortunate that an all too common sight during the games were official and often higher occupancy vehicles driving around town without any passengers.  The remaining two thirds of the fleet were still producing emissions, even if they weren’t as polluting as most other cars out there. This past month the majority of the fleet has been made available for consumer purchase, complete with original Vancouver 2010 markings.  Most of them went on sale in the States, spreading these eco-friendlier vehicles across North America.

Let’s hope Olympic branding can add the extra incentive need for average shoppers to purchase cars that are environmentally conscious and increasingly less dependent on fossil fuels.

GM isn’t the only one focused on greener automotive production considerations.  Canada’s KUMHO Tires also advertise environmental friendliness as they are HA oil free.

Here is a range of current and common rides for the environmentally-minded:

Volkswagen Jetta TDI

With a bio-diesel concoction of 1 part renewable diesel to 19 parts conventional petrol, driving this Jetta will reduce emissions by 5%. Greener bio-diesel mixtures will increase that percentage even further. It also helps that the car nurses it’s gas tank like a glass of fine single malt scotch.

Ford Fusion Hybrid

Featuring an already extremely fuel efficient engine regardless of the integrated hybrid system, Ford claims this model only needs to visit a gas station about once a month. Saves you some money, saves the planet some clean air.

Smart Fortwo

Compact and distinctive, the Smart Car is not only fuel efficient but also renders emissions mostly innocuous by simply blowing fresh air into the exhaust to produce an oxidising process. It is almost completely manufactured from recyclable and recycled materials, and the assembly line aims to be as ecologically friendly as possible: vastly reduced delivery distance for supplies, chemically mild paint, and a European record for shortest production time start to finish are just a few of the measures currently maintained.

Aptera 2e

Resembling something out of Minority Report, the Aptera 2e aims to facilitate efficiency by being as aerodynamic as currently possible. Solar panels keep the cabin temperature just the way you like it without impeding the car from it’s primary job: getting you from point A to point B whilst seamlessly and conveniently integrating your smart phone’s communication and jukebox features. Just don’t forget to plug it into your standard household socket to charge overnight.

Toyota Prius

Also taking no longer than your average cell phone to charge, this auto can take you 20km at speeds up to 100km/h without consuming a drop of gas. Switch to hybrid mode for longer journeys and enjoy an efficient and economic voyage that’ll let you take your eyes off gas station prices for a while.

Tesla Roadster

Providing optimal torque even when stationary, the electric Tesla Roadster is several times more efficient than gasoline powered cars when it comes to performance. You better have deep pockets though, as it costs $125 000 and up!

Nissan Altima Hybrid

Performance needn’t be sacrificed to take a load off the environment and your bank account. The standard gas engine is only used when the electric motor needs assistance, or when taking over completely is the most efficient use of fuel.

Honda Civic Hybrid

Slow this Civic down to rest at a red light, and the engine automatically shuts off. No emissions while idle, and extremely low emissions when driving, this environmentally friendly car also benefits from engine performance enhancements made possible by a magnetic electric motor.

Egg-cology 101

With Easter just around the corner, eggs are on the brain! From candy coated to foil wrapped to cream filled, the egg icon has come a long way from its original intentions of symbolizing rebirth (what bunnies and chickens have to do with Passover is still up for debate!).

Like many families, you might enjoy the tradition of dunking and decorating hard boiled (or uncooked and hollowed) eggs for this holiday. But as thousands upon thousands of these delectable domes leave supermarket selves this weekend, let’s consider some uses beyond the ornamental. We hope you’ll l’oeuf the results!

1. My personal favourite use for eggs is, of course, eating them! In addition to making a tasty snack, eggs are also jammed with essential proteins and amino acids. These help reduce muscular degeneration and help keep your hair and nails healthy and strong.

If you’re watching your wasteline this Easter after a number of rich holiday meals, one hardboiled egg is quite filling, giving you more bang for your calorie buck! Like nuts and avocados, eggs have the useful kind of fat, only 5 grams of it at that and only 76 calories.

When selecting your eggs, keep an eye of these labels:

Natural

• These eggs must be approved by the USDA to have no artificial colors and ingredients. Almost all eggs these days are natural, so if the carton doesn’t read it, maybe you’re in the wrong grocery store!

Certified Organic

• the hens laying your eggs roam freely outdoors and consume an organic feed

Certified Humane

• Strictly regulated by the Humane Farm Animal Care organization, these hens roam stress-free in a spacious zone under the care of professionally trained farmers.

2. Compost and is always a great idea. In addition to making your soil rich and fertile, the sharp surfaces of crushed egg shells also deter snails and slugs from reaching your plants. The vitamins in egg shells are also particularly useful for cacti fertilizer.

Also, let’s not forget the carton itself. These soft, biodegradable egg holders are great for absorbing excess water in your compost.

3. For years now, farmers have used ground up egg shells in chicken feed to provide calcium and other essential minerals. Try doing the same thing for your dog or cat’s wet food. Like your own hair and nails, the vitamins in the eggshells keep your pet’s coat thick and shiny. Make sure you use the eggshells from your boiled eggs only though, as you’ll need to kill the bacteria first.

4. Many farmer’s markets and local grocery stores, especially mom-and-pop run, will refill your old egg carton. Give it a try next time you’re in.

5. The little compartments of egg cartons have endless reusable options, from sewing kits to jewelry boxes. However, try keeping glassware like lightbulbs or, that other big holiday’s accessories, Christmas ornaments in egg cartons.

6. All the energy put into beautifying those eggs don’t have to go to waste after Easter. Instead, consider using the already-decorated, pre-hollowed shells as tea light sized candles. Simple crack open the top of the shell, fill with wax (a funnel helps), scented with your favourite essential oil and a wick and voila! Place the candles on egg holders and you’ve got yourself a work of art. For more detailed instructions, click here:

7. On the same note, another fun and festive alternative for decorated (and even plain) hollowed shells are using them for potted planters. Fill the shells with soil and seeds, ideally those that grow easily in small spots like rutabaga, barley, wheatgrass and watch them grow. They make great gifts, friendly for the environment and friendly for your wallet. I often keep a little potter of grass for my cat, who enjoys the tasty treat’s benefits in digestion.

The Green Room: A Small Town Store with a Big Idea

Another inspiring innovation comes to us from Courtenay BC, where eco-conscious entrepreneurs Rebecca Wood and Cortney Upham run The Green Room, the humble city’s first all environmentally-friendly housewares and gift store. With organic bath and body products, non-toxic cleaning products, locally made giftware, reclaimed jewelry, recycled glassware and of course, bamboo towels and baby products, The Green Room certainly covers all bases when it comes to customer convenience and the source for all things green.

Having the chance to speak with Rebecca, it was no surprise to learn that both she and Cortney hopped on the eco-bandwagon early. “We were both starting to change our lifestyles by biking to work etc. in hopes of moving towards a more eco-friendly lifestyle.” What inspired this change? Knowledge. Suddenly becoming aware of the incredible use of pesticides, the chemical production of cotton and other day-to-day products provided a jarring paradigm shift. “We just felt more at ease using earth-friendly and locally made products and especially knowing where things came from.”

Not being a big online shopper but noticing that the only source for eco-friendly purchasing was online, the duo got to work researching how best to meet the needs of the Courtenay community in an environmentally-friendly way. Like any business fighting the good fight, Rebecca and Cortney definitely faced their share of challenges at first. “There are a lot of limitations when you’re looking for products completely eco-friendly produced. Even within bamboo there are often complications with the processing.” Finally, on September 29th 2008, The Green Room opened.

The Green Room has created a very positive response so far, Rebecca tells me. Customers have even suggested or requested green products for the store to carry and the number of returning customers continues to increase. Getting costumers educated and spreading the word is their most important mandate says Rebecca, and it is also an effective means of marketing. “If we can get the customers educated and confident about the product, the trend will hopefully stick in Courtenay.”

Although, even with the positive responses The Green Room still faces challenges unique to its location. Rebecca observes that “people tend not to spend much on shopping in Courtenay. Consumerism or materialism is not an issue, it’s just not the lifestyle.” Moreover, the business faces less traffic due to its location just off the beaten main street path. However, being situated close to a bustling coffee shop, beautiful courtyard and busy market selling local BC products certainly helps The Green Room generate attention.

The Green Room’s story certainly acts as an inspiration to anyone looking to change the world starting with their own backyard. As a model for all small businesses, Rebecca and Cortney’s eco-friendly mandate is admirable not only for the products they offer but the for education they provide their customers.

Forest Fortitude: Preserving Our Best Defences with Bamboo

As many of us learned in grade school, forests and trees hold an unparalleled importance to all living things. They work to regulate carbon dioxide in the air, providing the oxygen balance essential for the survival of both ourselves and the earth we live on. And, as many of us learned from Al Gore in an Inconvenient Truth, mass pollution and deforestation causing global warming (a build up of carbon dioxide emissions in the air) is threatening that balance.

Forests are one of our best weapons against global warming. They convert carbon dioxide, which is responsible for global warming, to oxygen, which is necessary for life. And bamboo forests do it better than the alternatives. Bamboo produces 35 per cent more oxygen than a similar-sized group of trees. Many advocate the use of bamboo for this exact reason.

Bamboo is also a good weapon against deforestation. Deforestation occurs when a substantial amount of forest is permanently destroyed and cleared. The result is damage to land quality, the water cycle, and, as we’ve already addressed, this planet’s climate.

Luckily, bamboo doesn’t need to be replanted. You cut it and it comes back by itself. Its roots stay in the ground and maintain the stability of the soil. No erosion occurs. And the whole plant grows back way faster than other wood sources. In fact, most bamboo stalks will grow back in 59 days and mature within seven years. Meanwhile, a hardwood forest takes up to 50 years to grow back.

Consider looking up other ways to help protect our planet’s forests, like using bamboo or gas burning stoves and fireplaces in place of wood. Join a group that replants trees or even start one yourself. Ultimately, we need our forests. They are as necessary as they are beautiful.

She to Shic: Saving the World Without Breaking a Nail

The first of its kind in Vancouver, the new She to Shic Beauty Lounge promotes total eco-friendly aesthetic services. Located in the trendy Kerrisdale neighbourhood, this new beauty boutique cuts no corners when it comes to comfort, cleanliness and concept. We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with the owner and innovator behind She to Shic, Erin Shum and were surprised to find just how unique this business is.

The concept of a completely organic beauty lounge was born out memorable experiences familiar to many of us – accompanying our mothers (or daughters) to the salon. Over time, both Erin and her mom noticed that many of the salons they frequented weren’t particularly clean or comfortable, and those that were, certainly came at a price. Wanting to preserve the familial bonding they cherished so much but not wanting to sacrifice standards, Erin and her mother created She to Shic.

Previous to She to Shic, Erin spent much of her time working with special needs children during the year. She noticed how little time parents had to relax and treat themselves to some much deserved pampering. Offering hair, nail, eyelash and make-up services all in one place, Erin sees She to Shic as an ideal space for social connections. In fact, the boutique was designed with this in mind, mobile chairs allow guests to easily partake in “Everything I used to do growing up: prom pampering, birthday parties, and sorority functions.”

Moreover, her work with Autism also prompted Erin to question what it is that “gets into our system. With so many chemicals out there, it must be something in our environment.” Hoping to minimize our intake of synthetic chemicals, Erin began the research process for eco-friendly products. After a lot of hard work and the help of close friends, Erin created what is now She to Shic. Based on the salon’s impeccable cleanliness, modern aesthetic and pristine, mosaic walls, one would never have guessed this all happened in just three short weeks.

Erin tells me that although the response has been positive, many people still find it difficult to change or are not convinced by natural ingredients. “I want people to understand that they don’t have to spend more money or sacrifice quality or convenience to lead a cleaner more natural lifestyle. People think just because something is organic it won’t last as long.”
Indeed, She to Shic does not skimp on quality or variety you would find in any other high-end salon. Her nail polishes, for example, are long-lasting, vegan and phemaldehyde-free and come in every shade imaginable. “If you’re going to get a manicure or a pedicure, you might as well get something that’s good for you or else what is the point?” Those are inspiring words to ponder spoken by a true green-beauty thinker!

Pandas and Bamboo in China

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Pandas are beautiful creatures that live in China, along side bamboo!  Although they have the digestive systems of carnivores, pandas eat up to 38 kilograms of bamboo each day!  Only 1 per cent of their diet consists of small rodents or other plants.  The experts say that since they have carnivorous appetites, but love bamboo, they need to eat more of it to keep their energy levels adequate – not that they do much except eat, sleep and play!

Unfortunately, the panda is also an endangered species and, to make the problem worse, they’re not the best breeders in the animal kingdom, being very shy in personality.

So is it a problem that us humans are now using the panda’s food source of bamboo to make fabric fibers?  Not at all!

For starters, there are about 1000 bamboo species and pandas eat about 30 of the different varieties of bamboo.  The bamboo we use to make fabrics is not the type that pandas eat.

Not only that, but bamboo is the fastest growing plant out there, and can grow back to fullness within 7 years, without having to replant.  If you’ve ever planted a bamboo stalk, you’ll know how easily it spreads and begins to pop up everywhere!  That’s why bamboo forests are a much better option for manufacturing things that we use as humans, such as furniture, paper, building supplies and even fabric!

The Chinese government and its Ministry of Forestry is very active in preserving the panda and tries very hard to help the animals escape their endangered status.  Recently, in addition to the 40 panda reserves in China, a fifth breeding center for pandas was announced.  It will help teach the pandas how to breed, since they’re not that good at it when left on their own.  A panda mother takes two years to raise a cub before sending if off on it’s own so she can bear another.  Research has also been in done in cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund (also known as the World Wide Fund For Nature, or WWF), which sent researchers to China to help develop a forest management plan that would limit the cutting down of non-reserve forests where pandas live.

According to an article published by Pennsylvania State University Research, the main threat to pandas is due to illegal logging and poaching in what the government has classified as natural reserves.  In these reserves, no one is allowed to harm the wildlife, although some do anyway, despite the high risk to their liberty.  The Chinese government has even sentenced first-time poachers to life in prison and even to death for killing a panda.  However, the huge money (thousands of dollars) involved in the trade of panda pelts in other Asian countries and the difficulty of controlling hunters in thick forest makes poaching still a problem.

If you would like to help preserve the panda, visit the WWF site’s ‘How you can Help’ page where you can see a list of ways to donate, take action, and spread the word.

Facts about pandas:

Pandas need 4.9 square kilometers for their habitats, and often habitats of pandas overlap.  They don’t like to go far from their home.

It is very rare to see a panda in the wild.  They are very shy and live like hermits.  Scientists aren’t sure how many pandas there are in the wild, but they estimate it to be somewhere between 1500 and 3000.  Pandas can, however, be seen in zoos and breeding reserves where humans work with them.

In time, there has been confusion about whether or not the panda is a bear or a raccoon, because it shares characteristics of both.  However, scientists believe it is in fact a bear.

In the 1970s, pandas as loans were used by the Chinese to form relationships with outside countries, namely America and Japan.  Today, pandas are given on 10-year “rentals” to American zoos for a yearly fee (sometimes $1 million) and half of that fee goes into conservation efforts in China.

The panda cub is only 1/900 of its mother’s weight, ranging between 90 to 130 grams and is about the size of a stick of butter!

A baby panda can start eating bamboo after 6 months.

A female panda can only mate once a year, but takes one and half years to raise a cub, and can only raise one cub at a time.

In 2009 the first baby panda was born after being conceived by artificial insemination.  Overall, scientists believe that the conservation efforts on pandas is working, but do not have enough conclusive information to remove the ‘endangered’ label.  Still, the efforts have increased wild pandas by 40 per cent since the 1980s.

A panda weighs between 100 to 150 kilograms and can grow up to 150 centimeters.

Pandas have lived as their own species (apart from other types of bears) in China for over 3 million years.  For that reason they are sometimes called the “living fossil.”

Pandas live for up to 20 years in the wild and 30 years in captivity.