Alterego in Maryland can discuss the feasibility of FSC certified hardwood, cork, bamboo, linoleum, or rubber floor materials for your yurt structure. The company is owned by architects who offer sustainable products with modern designs.

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One downside to bamboo comes during the production process. Since the plant itself isn’t fibrous, it’s mashed down into sort of a chemical slurry and then pressed into fabric. The process is similar to making rayon. It’s toxic for workers, and it strips the bamboo of its beneficial antimicrobial properties.

There’s also the trouble that comes with anything that gets popular. Despite its speedy growth, there is still a threat of overharvesting bamboo. According to the U.N., around 600 varieties of bamboo are extinct or threatened.

Wait…that doesn’t sound fab at all! Well, Greenyarn, a new Boston-based company, has a new approach to producing bamboo fabric that’s worth a look!

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The Bamboo Bike Project is a project by Scientists and Engineers at The Earth Institute, Columbia University, and aims to examine the feasibility of implementing cargo bikes made of bamboo as a sustainable form of transportation in Africa.

What? American Craft Council Salon Series: Craft’s Contribution to a Sustainable World - Bamboo Bicycles

Where? American Craft Council Library (6th Floor) 72 Spring Street, New York, New York

When? This upcoming Wednesday, August 12, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

How? $10; $5 for students with current ID. To rsvp, contact Kate at intern@craftcouncil.org or call (212) 274–0630 x272.

What Else? “Join us in the Council’s library for this summer’s Salons exploring Craft’s Contribution to a Sustainable World. This Bamboo Bike Project is creating a new model for social entrepreneurship and development, using craft, DIY techniques, and natural resources.”

Specific speakers include Marty Odlin (of Bamboo Bikes) & Justin Aguinaldo (biking expert). Marty Odlin is co-founder and engineer of the Bamboo Bike Studio and assistant director of the Education Center for Sustainable Engineering at Columbia University, and he will discuss the history of this project, as well as its implications in other fields. Marty will be joined by Justin Aguinaldo, a New York bike messenger who brings his expertise of bike mechanics to the project.

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Pacesetter Awards caught our attention at the Proforma 2009 Convention in Denver with their range of award plaques made from eco-friendly materials. Not only is Pacesetter Awards working with some new materials; the actual finishes, plus the multiple sizes and shapes of their products seem to place them ahead of their peers. Unfortunately none of the new line is yet on view at the Pacesetter Awards website or virtual catalog.

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You can now quilt green, stuffyour little critters in an eco-friendly way and have bamboo pillows.

Nature-Fil batting, fiberfill and pillow forms now come in bamboo options and natural fiberfill is made out of both bamboo and PLA corn materials.

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But Artevist is a community of artists, not just another graphic tee company. There are no mass-produced designs, sweatshop garments, pesticide-laden cottons, or plastic inks here.  Artevist shirts are made in America from sustainably grown organic bamboo and cotton fabrics, and are printed without using pthalates or PVCs. Each unique limited-edition design is created by an eco-conscious artist, not a corporation.

How does the Artevist model work?

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You might be pleasantly surprised.  From small-business WAHM handmade slings, to big-name brands, there is a wide selection of organic baby carriers out there to choose from.  Whatever style of carrier you prefer, organic options in natural colour-grown fabrics and vivid naturally-dyed colours abound.

Here is just a partial list, to help get your search started.

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Here is a short video from the 2009 Proforma Convention in Denver. This is Pro Towels Etc’s new bamboo fiber golf towel, which they say is the first bamboo fiber golf towel introduced to the promotional items market.

Why towels? As a promotional item they have a number of advantages over shirts and caps, the items they seem to compete with the most. According to Pro Towels the advantages are:

• For Recognition - Make a huge impact with a 25″ x 50″ logo on a beach towel.  Largest imprint area amongst most other promotional products.
• For Durability - Machine washable for endless use. When was the last time you threw a towel away?
• For Leisure - Towels are used when doing fun things such as swimming, boating, golfing, etc.
• For Value - Superior value for price.
• For Style - Towels never go out of style.

For the Ecopreneurist organic cotton and bamboo towels are a great match for many summer time marketing activities like boating events, golfing events, spa weekends, etc., and they really do provide a large imprintable message area at a low cost.

If you are in the business the ASI contact to talk is Dana Zezzo at Pro Towels Etc. If you are interested in these items to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

In this short video Craig from Independent Printing shows off their new bamboo blend print stock. This was taken at the Proforma 2009 convention so I did get a chance to touch and feel this paper. You cannot tell that this is a bamboo blend. It looks and feels and acts like “paper” and seems suitable for any print job.

Another thing to mention about Independent Printing is that their offices and press are now powered by renewable resources. Indeed they have created their own symbol to denote their products are printed with clean energy which they can add to any project coming out of their shop.

Really, when talking about green printing using green resources I think Independent Printing is quickly taking the lead position in our industry. Any custom or standard job, any size, they have the Ecopreneurist covered.

You can read a lot more about Independent Printing’s commitment to eco-friendly printing on their website.

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On April 21, 2009 Drinking With Benefits held their latest open house event at the State and Allen Lounge in downtown Dallas.

The goal of Drinking With Benefits is to “develop an awareness and call to action for local communities through businesses that implement the ideals of an eco-friendly community, thereby creating an active ‘go green’ network of lounges, bar and nightclubs”. Part of their education and advocacy outreach is recognition by Drinking With Benefits of those businesses who recycle their waste—in particular glass, which has the most connection to the patrons of these businesses.

As part of their program Drinking With Benefits needs to get their message out by identifying the bars that are members of their organization. Enter the Dakota Burl plaque from Norwood. This plaque is made entirely of sunflower husks and when laser etched really looks very elegant. Each new member of Drinking With Benefits is now presented with a Dakota Burl plaque to place in their establishment to show their participation in the program and to help promote it. That was part of the reason for the April 21st event.

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Sandy Skinner, creator of ecoSkin, did not have that problem.

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Jiangqiao Bamboo and Wood hails from China’s Jiangxi province, where bamboo resources are plentiful. Though the company began as a flooring company, they are now diversifying their production to include the latest in green design: bamboo keyboards.

In recent years, bamboo - a rapidly regenerating material - has gained popularity as a sturdy, sustainable alternative to wood flooring. Currently, China produces 200,000 cubic meters annually of bamboo plywood.

However, the history of bamboo’s use as an interior and even exterior material goes back way before sustainable buildings became trendy. Native to much of South and Southwest China, bamboo was first used to make paper, calligraphy brushes, and musical instruments thousands of years ago. For well over a century, it has been crafted into a range of household articles including chairs, baskets, mats, cutlery, and cabinets.

Bamboo - which is actually a grass - can be harvested after only four to six years of growth, much shorter than the 30-60 years required for comparable wood species. Replanting is not necessary, as bamboo regenerates on its own; and the speed at which it does so means it offers excellent erosion control.

Jiangqiao, which began manufacturing the green keyboards last October, has already received orders for 40,000 finished units, and is China’s sole producer of bamboo keyboards.

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Not only are “green” resources more available today, there are authenticity and certification programs, as well as trace systems that track from field to retailer. Simple Shoes is a business with deserved admiration for establishing sustainable material suppliers through a combination of programs. They appropriately describe themselves as a “nice little shoe company getting in touch with its inner hippie.”

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The CCB is an independent agency that contributes to the prosperity of Canadians by protecting and promoting competitive markets and enabling informed consumer choices. The CCB published Guidance on Labeling Textile Articles Derived from Bamboo to assist the textile supply chain to deal with new compliance in Canada.

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When it comes to eco-friendly fashion, there are two things that ring my bell: Affordability and outside-the-box thinking. Few companies have managed to impress me the way HT Naturals has on both of these counts.

Take their polyester for starters. Often, customers walk into Eco-tique in St. Paul (where Nature of Beauty is housed), look at the HT Naturals long-sleeve t-shirts, see that they’re 50% polyester, and ask skeptically, “How on earth that can be eco-friendly?” The answer:

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[Creative Commons photo by Joi]

This question has been nagging me lately, so I did a little bit of digging. It looks like there are some upsides and some downsides to bamboo fabric. Let’s start with the bad news first and talk about the good news last.

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The new nonwoven material umbrella with all bamboo shaft from Debco looks and acts like any other umbrella out there. But this one is eco-friendly.

Ok, perhaps with the all bamboo construction on this model the umbrella looks a little better than your average promotional item umbrella, but the point is that this unit is another example of the new green promotional items coming to market that act green without necessarily looking green.

The 48” arc of nonwoven material is number #5 recyclable - the same material as used in grocery totes. Thanks to that fact the umbrella is available in all the colors of your common shopping tote as well, so black, lime green, royal blue, red and white are all available. The nonwoven used is 50 gram polypropylene with 30 GSM water resistant lamination.

The patent pending design features a 100% natural bamboo shaft with curved handle. Fiberglass ribs have been added for strength and durability - not very eco there - and the umbrella has a basic Velcro tie closure. EQP pricing on this large umbrella is $15.43 with one color imprint.

Of course for the Ecopreneurists looking to use an umbrella in their marketing campaign all the old standbys work for an eco umbrella as well. Slogans like “we have you covered”, “bringing you in from the rain”, etc. And they of course work everywhere traditional umbrellas do so they are a great idea for Ecopreneurists targeting things like golf events, restaurants and cafes, and hotels.

For more information on these items and the other great stuff from Debco email Andrew Green. If you are looking to order, email info@proformagreen.com or contact your local promotional products seller.

Showdown Displays was showing off four new bamboo frame displays at the ASI show in Dallas, two similar in design to the Panda Stand and Panda Stand L, plus an X model, a Deluxe model and a Bamboo Literature Display. Showdown also had their new “Build-able Block” system on show, which I will need to cover in another article. Build-able Block is a modular system to scale to any display size or configuration which is made with a fully recyclable corrugated cardboard-like material.

These bamboo solutions work both as retail/lobby displays and for those Ecopreneurists doing the trade show route. They also work well for spas as the signage is “softer” than traditional aluminum or steel displays.

Prices range from EQP $189 for the basic X model to EQP $319 for the Showdown version of the Panda Stand. Pricing is for a kit including banner and hardware. Here is John from Showdown Displays talking at ASI.

For more information visit the Showdown Display website or email us at info@proformagreen.com for pricing. See move videos from ASI Dallas here.

Due to its many benefits, bamboo has been touted as an environmental miracle crop. It’s a significant carbon sink, it grows fast, is more termite-resistant than timber, and can be used for everything from food to clothing material to scaffolding for building construction.

But are environmentalists being bamboozled? Despite its benefits, increased bamboo production could raise a lot of concerns too.

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