You may think it is an exaggeration to say that bamboo can save the world but I would wager that by the end of this article you will think otherwise. Bamboo is an incredible plant that really has the potential to save the environment in a number of ways.
Bamboo is more like grass than a plant. It can grow incredibly quickly. Some bamboo plants can grow as fast as 1.5 inches every hour and reach full maturity in 90 days, while even the average ones only take a few years. Compare this to the long life span of a tree and you will start to understand how bamboo can come in handy.
Bamboo being able to grow fast is fantastic as it means we can use it instead of trees and grow it again in a short space of time. But what can it be used for? Well for a start bamboo is harder than brick or concrete and has a higher strength ratio than steel. It is also very flexible meaning it can be used for technical jobs too. Many people have even started to use it in their homes. We could be using more bamboo for paper, flooring, cooking utensils, water pipes, furniture, bike frames and much more. The lightweight versatile material could replace so many materials that are difficult or expensive to source.
While that sounds good we have barely touched on why it is so good for the environment. Bamboo is excellent because it can be used on infertile land and make it fertile again. It can be harvested without digging up the root, meaning land will be less susceptible to flooding, it takes four times the CO2 that a tree does and releases oxygen in return, meaning overall it is just better for the environment.
If you need to hear one more reason that bamboo is a miracle grass then what about the fact that no matter what climate a certain species is in, they will all blossom at the same time. This is something scientists call an evolutionary alarm clock and means that the plant will flower no matter the circumstances. What a magical wonder.
