BAMBOOSTIC 2009 - FIRST OF ITS KIND BAMBOO FESTIVAL

The Bamboostic poster

At the IITF 2009, there was a special festival at the NMBA pavilion.

Called BAMBOOSTIC 2009, this festival aimed to win hearts and minds to the cause of bamboo. A creative mix of competitions and events - painting, poetry, paragraph and slogan writing on bamboo and the environment had over 300 participants of all ages - from 3 and 1/2 year olds to 60 year olds ....everyone had a blast and the pavilion got really crowded during competition hours as each participant was encouraged by hordes of family members and friends !

As Coordinator of the Festival, what made me happy was to see people's joy - young and old - in expressing their creativity - in fact many people thanked us for the opportunity TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES. Another heartening thing was that so many people actually sat and thought about bamboo and how it coud be useful to combat deforestation, global warming and climate change - normally many of these people would not have bothered about bamboo. All in all, it was extremely gratifying.

In addition to the competition events, we organized live craft demonstrations ( toy-making, kites and weaving) and also had an artist making what else but "Bamboo Tattoos" on the face and hands - everyone wanted one !! We also distributed 20, 000 windscreen stickers promoting bamboo - the slogan was

CHOOSE BAMBOO FOR A CLEANER, GREENER EARTH !

BAMBOO PAVILION AT THE INDIA INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR 2009

The National Mission on Bamboo Applications (NMBA) has built a stunning all bamboo pavilion at the India International Trade Fair 2009 Pragati Maidan. A total of 1.5 lakh daily visitors to the IITF had a chance to see the pavilion and all the bamboo innovations here which included bamboo housing for rual tourism, disaster relief housing, bamboo and solar lights, a bamboo bicycle capable of generating electricity, bamboo flooring, handicrafts, machinery, bamboo microscopes, and much more.

And yes, the Bamboo Store was there too !!

New Bamboo Poem for Diwali

Diwali is round the corner,
Give Bamboo a place of honour!

Climate change is here to stay,
What a warm October I must say!

Bamboo can be the warrior great
Reducing global warming at any rate

Use bamboo and let the trees be
For that there is no extra fee

Bamboo for candlestands plenty
Of bamboo gifts, we have a variety

Come o come to the Bamboo Store
Where we have bamboo and more

BAMBOO ON THE ROAD - TREE GUARDS ENROUTE TO DEHRADUN

We, at The Bamboo Store, always get excited when we see bamboo being used in new and innovative ways. On a recent road trip to Dehradun, we saw something that really made us happy and our hearts sing. Bamboo has been extensively used as tree guards here all along the road as you approach the hilly stretch near Mohund. The bamboo has been painted a nice shade of green and all the greenery around this green bamboo was a beautiful sight. We were pleased because bamboo is such a sensible option for tree guards -

• it is locally available in most places,
• easily renewable,
• easy to work with and
• not resource intensive to produce such as metal tree guards.

Also, once the tree becomes big and the tree guard is no longer required, the bamboo can be re-used. Depending on the time-frame, if the bamboo has got spoilt, since it is bio-degradable, it can be returned to earth.

Enjoy these pictures of the eco-friendly tree guards !!

A sturdy, practical tree guard

You can't tell where the tree guard ends and plants begin - a melding of all things green

Bamboo for the Garden

Bamboo looks wonderful in the garden - natural or brightly coloured. Bamboo can be used in so many ways in the garden - both for functional and decorative purposes. You can use bamboo for fences, gates, planters, stakes, sculptures, fountains, water-pipes, garden candlestands, torches, solar and bamboo lamps, bird-houses, bird-feeders and much much more.

Here is one of the exciting things we at The Bamboo Store are creating for the garden

bamboo and coconut shell candlestands

Bamboo Furniture

There is something about bamboo furniture

Sturdy yet sleek

In the words of a poet

"A Bamboo Chair -- is mostly composed of Air".

Yes, it is this quality of lightness , of not being bulky that is appealing about bamboo furniture.

Enjoy this offering from The Bamboo Store, New Delhi, India

Bamboo Table Mats - Perfect Recipe for Aesthetic Meal-times

Bamboo Table mats all the way from Northeast India at the Bamboo Store - an elegant way to set the dinner table . Roll them up and carry them for a good-looking picnic lunch. Or why not eat in style at office too - the benefit of a bamboo table mat is that it is sturdy, washes well, can be rolled and carried easily and looks good !!