Go green with bamboo

Did you know just how useful the humble bamboo plant is? It can be used in a great number of ways to combat or prevent the effects of climate change. It is widely considered a more useful and sustainable alternative compared to trees, plastic etc. as it grows extremely quickly, can be easily harvested and then grows back just as quickly. 

Some of these include:

1. Acid mine drainage - Bamboo thrives in acidic soil and can extract unwanted elements - such as mercury and uranium. This is why it is often used in Phytoremediation - this is the treatment of contaminated land using plants. 

2. Purifying water - Bamboo-activated carbon (bamboo charcoal) is a great water purifier. Many at-home purifiers use bamboo charcoal to filter the water. When you apply this to industrial waste water, bamboo is a wonderful tool for removing dyes and chemicals. 

3. Paper - Apparently, bamboo fibres are better than tree fibres when it comes to producing paper. And the crop of bamboo can be managed much easier, compared to chopping down trees. 

4. Wood for construction and furniture - The bamboo plant makes flexible yet sturdy wood, and can be used in a number of ways, from flooring to roofs. 

5. Clothes and food - Clothes made from bamboo are apparently wonderful green alternatives. And the plant is used as food in many Asian countries.

To find out more about the industrial and commercial farming uses for bamboo, visit http://www.vssbamboo.co.za

Source: Redi Direko's Green Tip of the Day 

 

 

 

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