Kawayan (Bamboo) no longer "a poor man's timber"
Ranked #7,158 in Healthy Living, #122,218 overall
Kawayan House
And living in a bamboo house is cool even in summer time! I remember napping on our bamboo floor every afternoon even in hot summers since air could pass through the bamboo slots of our floor and that keep us cool and comfy! Well you might wonder why bamboo house and not wood or concrete? The reason is that bamboo is abundant in the Philippines and also cheap compared to wood and steel.
For centuries bamboo had been significant not only in construction of houses, furniture, fences, handicrafts, weapon, musical instruments but also a good source of food. For those who doesn't know bamboo shoots are delicious and rich in fiber & potassium. My mom would cook them with coconut milk, molokiya herbs and shrimp or crabs. She would also make a pickled bamboo shoots for appetizer. Bamboo shoots are now being canned and exported by South East Asian countries like Thailand. To date, bamboo utilization are no longer limited to these. In this lens I want to share more usefulness of bamboo and also fun trivia on bamboo.
(PhotoCredit: bambooman.com)
Table of Contents
GREEN-TECH YESTERDAY, HIGH-TECH TODAY
Bamboo in Information Technology
Go Green!
Bamboo laptop case & I-phone cases from eBay
Trivia # 1: Bamboo is not a tree but a grass. The tallest perennial grass in the family of Graminae.
Transportation with Bamboo Taxis & Bikes
Bamboo Taxis and Bamboo Bikes, wanna ride? =)
Ever heard of bamboo bikes & bamboo taxis? Yes, a taxi made from 90% bamboo and runs on coconut biodiesel. These taxis could be found in Tabontabon Leyte, Philippines. The taxis were assembled by local out-of-school youth, are equipped with a 2-cylinder engine and runs on coconut biofuel. One gallon of coconut biofuel can make the cars run for about 8 hours. A car out of a grass. Amazing isn't it?. For more information on bamboo bikes please click here and click here on bamboo taxis.
PhotoCredit: inhabitat.com
Trivia # 2: Bamboo has greater elastic bending strength than steel! (Tensile strength)
Bamboo Bike
Who would ever think this awesome bike is made with bamboo?
PhotoCredit: calfeedesigns.com
You can freshen up & accesorize your car with Bamboo too!
Be cool and comfortable while driving, check this out this bamboo mat car seat covers
Additional stuff for your car from eBay
Trivia # 3: Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world, some specie can grow up to 1 meter per day.
Sporting with Bamboo
A lot of people likes baseball, but do you know that bamboo baseball bats are now available? Baseball bats are usually made from wood or metal clubs. In Japan's martial art called Kendo, bamboo is also used to make the Shinai sword.Who would think that a certain grass could have a significant use in sports like these baseball bat, skateboards, bikes and yoga bamboo bench?
PhotoCredit: ranker.com
Trivia # 4: Bamboo stems are called culms.
Yoga Bench and more Bamboo Skateboard options
Trivia # 5: The largest musical organ made from bamboo could be found in St. Joseph Parish Church Las Pinas, Philippines.
Bamboo Musical Instruments
The Bamboo Organ in Las Pinas, Philippines
PhotoCredit: bambooorgan.org
Trivia # 6: Some bamboos flower every 12 years or so, a few species flower only 30-60 year while the specie Phyllostachys bambusoides flowers only after 120 years!
Bamboo in Health and Beauty
Yes, bamboo can definitely contribute to our health and beauty! Some bamboo shoots are edible and are good source of fiber which promotes digestive health, lowers bad cholesterol and has low calories, and since it contains potassium it could also lower blood pressure. Various research has been done on bamboo's usability and as a result we now have bamboo shampoo & conditioner, lotion, facial scrub, body scrubs, make-up brush, moisturizers and bamboo charcoal soap. Isn't that awesome? All these products came from a grass.For more info on health benefits from bamboo shoots please click here.
PhotoCredit: aaysrecipes.com
Try some beauty products out of bamboo
Trivia # 7: Bamboo could absorb more carbon dioxide and releases 35% more oxygen than any other trees!
Bamboo in Culture & Arts
Chinese and Japanese artist have long been using bamboo as motif in their paintings, sculpting, pottery, scrolls and landscapes.Bamboo has also contributed to weaponry. A bamboo stick can be made into a simple spear by sharpening one of its ends. In ancient Tamil martial art of Silambam, the fighters hit each other rapidly with bamboo sticks while in Japan's martial art called Kendo, bamboo is used to make the Shinai sword.
In the Philippines, bamboo is used in dancing Tinikling a popular traditional dance of the country.
PhotoCredit: vlasta2 Flickr.com
Painting? Check out these durable bamboo painting brush
Trivia # 9: Thomas Edison, the inventor of light bulb used a carbonized piece of bamboo as a filament for one of the first electric light bulbs.
Bamboo in Home & Kitchen
Trivia # 8: The oldest written Chinese records, dating from the 8th century BC is called The Bamboo Annals and they're written on bamboo.
Trivia # 10: Alexander Graham Bell made the first phonograph needle out of bamboo.
Bamboo in Fashion
Bamboo Watches, Clothes, Socks, Baby Clothes
Trivia # 11: Bamboo has a natural antimicrobial, antibacterial, and anti-ultraviolet effect.
Trivia # 12: Pandas depend on the Phyllostachys bamboo for their food, and after it flowers they lose their source of food.
Trivia # 13: In China, flutes were invented from hollow stems of bamboo ever since before the Stone Age.
Bamboo in Toys & Games
Trivia # 14: Bamboo grows almost on every continent in the world except in Europe and Antarctic.
Trivia # 15: Bamboo has the ability to withstand earthquakes!
Just Curious
I'll be glad to know your thoughts, what can you say about bamboo now?
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davespeed
May 24, 2012 @ 6:00 pm | delete
- I'd like to try eating a bamboo dish.
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JJNW
May 2, 2012 @ 8:44 pm | delete
- Very interesting! ***Blessed by a SquidAngel*** for teaching me something unique!
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Wordwinder
Apr 5, 2012 @ 3:22 am | delete
- Know this, O worthy and diligent lensmaster;
With accomplishment you've earned a tryster.
As a token of immense appreciation expressed,
A squid angel leaves this lens heartily blessed.
On a rendering that is sparkling in its own right,
Propagating an appealing thought well and quite;
If you were to notice a slender shimmering crust;
From the angel's wand, it is a spill of stardust.
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Tipi
Mar 29, 2012 @ 1:54 pm | delete
- I would love a ride in the taxi. What a fun article! :)
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MillBucks
Mar 27, 2012 @ 12:21 pm | delete
- Great article, I never knew all these possibilities for bamboo existed. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
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mamabush
Mar 16, 2012 @ 9:39 am | delete
- This is a really cool lens about bamboo! I love the look of bamboo floors, but I never knew that so many things were made from it. The bike is amazing! :) Blessed by a SquidAngel!
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naheedahsan
Mar 12, 2012 @ 2:58 pm | delete
- Great resource of Bamboo, good lens
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---Chazz
Feb 29, 2012 @ 2:42 pm | delete
- I can't believe this is one of your first two lenses. Wonderful job. Blessed and featured on "Wing-ing it on Squidoo," my tribute to the best lenses I've found since donning my wings. I'm looking forward to more great lenses from you.
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Tradeshowhobo
Feb 21, 2012 @ 2:58 pm | delete
- beautiful stuff. Thanks
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Susan52
Feb 20, 2012 @ 10:20 pm | delete
- Bamboo is amazing. Great resource here - nice job!
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