BAMBOO AND COMMONWEALTH GAMES NEW DELHI 2010

Check out http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/sports/bamboo-screens-to-hide-delhi-slums-during-commonwealth-games_100233286.html

BAMBOO STORE REVAMP & THE RIGHT CHOICE

The Bamboo Store has been around for 1 and a half years now and we felt it was time for a revamp - so guys be prepared for green walls, some bamboo flooring and perhaps golden painted bamboo as the store transform itself in the coming weeks. And to complement the new look are a couple of new bamboo products - we are doing special gifts for the festive season - but something different from the usual shiny - shimmery stuff - something that is eco-conscious and trash-sensitive.

Why do I say this ? We have spent one of the most miserable summers in recent times - a summer that seemed to go on forever with high temperatures and humidity to match - ideal weather for millions of flu and fever viruses. The monsoons played a disappearing trick - aided no doubt by the massive acres of cooling forests that have disappeared in India as well as the wanton destruction of the Arravalis.

I sincerely believe Bamboo is an answer - it is after all Nature's Band-Aid - holding soil together, letting water seep through to recharge groundwater, greening degraded areas, purifying the air, sequestering carbon and serving as an alternative to wood and plastic in the home. The point is - The solution to a lot of the climate problems that ail us is here -the point is how many consumers are going to make the right informed choice? Bamboo over plastic and wood, cement and steel?

CHOOSE BAMBOO ANYDAY, ANYWAY AND THE BAMBOO STORE WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN

MY LATEST 'POME' FOR THE BAMBOO STORE

Stay cool in this economic meltdown
Don't wory, don't frown

Surround yourself with bamboo green
On this strong grass you can lean
Life will not seem so mean
In bamboo's embrace, you can preen!

Shut out the hot sun with bamboo blinds
Surely, one of the Bamboo Store's great finds
Create a cool atmosphere for great minds!

Bamboo for the table
Bamboo shoots on the table
If you are willing and ableBamboo is quite a staple !

Bamboo lamps to flood your home with light
Bamboo baskets for many purposes so right
Don't give up without a fight
Keep your spending really tight

So no more economic doom
Let bamboos boom !!

Bamboo products galore
Only at The Bamboo Store
N-11 rear Lane
N _ Block Market Greater Kailash Part I
New Delhi -110048

The World Wakes up to Bamboo

This is a story that has appeared on the CNN website - I think it is exciting that bamboo's potential is being widely recognised. We at the Bamboo Store have been working to do just this - show bamboo as a solution to the environmental and poverty issues in today's world.
The story is titled

Can bamboo tackle environmental and poverty concerns?
Story Highlights
-Bamboo could be source to lift thousands out of poverty in south east Asia
-Potential of industrial use of fast-growing plant lies in greater export market
-Bamboo must overcome image problem, say advocates

This article can also be accessed if you copy and paste the entire address below into your web browser.http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/02/15/eco.bamboo/index.html

Blind Love: Bamboo Blinds

Basically, bamboo blinds are made by weaving together splits of bamboo in a continuous roll. Bamboo blinds can be made from bamboo that has been split either very fine or in broad bands. Sometimes, blinds are made by combining thin and thick splits. Coloured threads can be used while weaving to create patterns and the bamboo may even be dyed to create interesting colour combinations. Since blinds have a loose weave, they allow light and air to enter while affording privacy. Blinds can be easily rolled up and down and are a great way of screening spaces. The benefits of bamboo blinds are

• They lend a lovely warm and natural look to any space, be it a office or home.
• They are an easy way of bringing nature into interiors
• They allow privacy and yet enable light and air to come.
• They are easy to maintain - dust regularly or wash them (they do not shrink unlike cloth blinds)
• They add space to a room as they are sleek and not voluminous like curtains
• Natural coloured blinds can blend in with any colour of furnishings/furniture.
• They can even be dyed as per your choice.
• They are sturdy and durable - will last you for ages.

EASY WAYS TO INCORPORATE BAMBOO IN YOUR LIFE

One thing I realise clearly now is that most people find it very difficult to think of ways to incorporate bamboo in their daily lives. Yes, they may be ecologically conscious and want to adopt bamboo. Yes, they may like the look and feel of bamboo. But they don't know how to begin to include bamboo in their daily lives. So, now for the next couple of blogs, I am going to look at how bamboo can be used at home, offices, restaurants, spas, gardens, etc. This will be like a practical guide to the various bamboo products available today, especially at The Bamboo Store. I will focus on particular products too and explain their construction and use.

For today it is a sampling of different bamboo products:

bamboo mats for your table

a variety of lamps

A Bamboo Life: Kitchen Garden in the City

Continuing the theme of " Bamboo Life" as in having a closer-to-Earth organic life, I am pleased to let you know that for years ( 14 to be precise), I have had a terrace garden - nothing fancy but just pots in which I have grown flowers and vegetables. More vegetables because I like the idea of growing my own food, using organic fertilizers ( cow manure and vermicompost). Watching the tiny flowers metamorphose into flavourful little tomatoes is wonderful. As I brush past the mint and the basil, they release their wonderful fragrance. Beans, onions, brocolli - they all share the sun in my garden. I use a lot of bamboo - to stake up the tomatoes , as a railing all along the terrace ( cheap and beautiful- not cold metal ) . Some pictures of my terrace garden - cheers to the Bamboo Life !

Notice the green bamboo railings above - they have lasted for years under the Delhi sun - just needs a coat of paint once in two years.

the heirloom tomatoes are heavy - the bamboo stakes are handy !