Before you make your next purchase of flooring, furniture or other product made from traditional wood think about bamboo instead. Bamboo is a high-yield renewable resource which is superior to conventional timber in many ways.

Fast Growing
It is an extremely fast growing (up to 2 inches an hour) grass and can be harvested in 3 – 5 years, at heights of up to 50 feet, compared to the usual hardwoods that take between 10 and 50 years before they can be used.

Renewable
After harvesting, bamboo will grow back from the same plant.

Protects the Environment
2 ½ acres of bamboo removes 12 tons of carbon dioxide from the air and produces 35% more oxygen than the same amount of trees.

Strong
Bamboo is one of the strongest building materials, with strength equal to steel.

Creates Jobs
Small villages can easily grow bamboo, creating jobs and income for rural Asian communities.

Versatile
Bamboo is used to produce everything from flooring to kitchenware to clothing.

Keep in mind that there are some drawbacks. Although there are species of bamboo that will grow in the U.S., few North American companies are currently growing bamboo. Shipping from overseas requires fossil fuels and creates CO2 emissions.

Check out bamboocentral.org to find out more about bamboo and how you can balance your lifetime carbon footprint (carbon dioxide output) by sponsoring bamboo reforestation.

Buy Bamboo Flooring From Environmentally Sound Sources.

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