Sustainability Context

The bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants and perhaps one that is ideal for removing CO2 from the air. It's been said that certain species can be heard growing! The shoot is used to many different cuisines. As a construction material, the world does not seem to get enough. Bamboo, when planted in the right way, can restore and maintain natural habitats.

The structure of the bamboo is also quite unique. What gives bamboo its resilience is its ability to be flexible and allows it to withstand considerable stress. For many years, have used this property in designing high tech materials and buildings. One recent example is Taipei 101, the world's tallest occupied building. During a recent visit, I learned the building's design was based on a bamboo shoot. With a flexible structure, the building is said to withstand earthquakes and typhoons.

In my recent trip to Japan, I purchased carbonized bamboo, which has traditionally been used to clean water by absorbing impurities. It turns out that as a charcoal, the material has enormous surface area for adsorbing organic and metal contaminants. This reminds me of my times in the chemistry lab when we used something similar - activated charcoal - to make certain chemical reactions go.

At the Earth Day fair in Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, I learned that carbonized plants (including bamboo) have other uses in food. They help to make rice and beer taste better!

What I find most inspiring about bamboo and other plants is that they have in the past provided sustainable solutions for low-energy but comfortable lifestyles. There are probably many other uses that I haven't read about but perhaps it's time to think about how these natural technologies can be reincorporated into our modern lifestyle.