Bamboo is not always “green” to use for green projects. Is using bamboo a Boo-Boo?

For several decades now, we as San Francisco homeowners, contractors, architects, designers, and realtors have been told that bamboo is a wonderful material for remodeling projects, as it is so low in cost (in compared to hardwoods) and is ecologically sustainable.

How many of us have attended trade shows in the San Francisco Bay Area where bamboo stole the show? These shops showcase all the wonders of using bamboo for everything from floors to ceilings, trash cans, furniture to coffee tables, and even more drinking glasses. The cost of many projects could be cut by a third or even a half, since bamboo is much less expensive (or so we’re told) than comparable hardwoods that weren’t as versatile or eco-friendly. Before the year 2000, much of these facts were true, and no one had reason to doubt them after several decades of using bamboo for massive industrial uses in buildings.

But around the year 2000, many growers in Asia began harvesting bamboo stems at ages younger than the minimum of five years of growth. These younger stems do not yet have enough strength and durability and are best used in craft projects such as basketry or clothing. Many homeowners. Contractors and designers continued to recommend and use bamboo into the early 21st century without realizing the results to follow.

Today, in 2010, large amounts of bamboo are still imported into the United States each year. How many of us can say that bamboo (or materials derived from bamboo) are more than five years old? How many of us can say that bamboo is less than five years old? Probably no one can. Therein lies the problem we all face when choosing bamboo for our next “green” project! No one can tell. Well, we can actually tell after several years of wear and tear, but who would want to spend thousands of dollars (or risk waiting thousands of dollars) if the bamboo starts to decay several years after installation?

Perhaps in several years there will be a bamboo rating system for those of us who choose to use bamboo for its potential strength and beauty, not to mention its functionality. May I suggest that the grading system be simple to include only three categories: “Harvested 5 years or older from a verifiable/documented source”; B “harvests in less than 5 years and therefore does not have long-lasting strength for most projects”; and C “age of source or vintage unknown”. In this way, the buyer can have some kind of confidence from the beginning of a project that they are really using an environmentally friendly material or not.

Until then, I will continue to admire bamboo, but I will not encourage my own customers to use it in any project that expects long-term durability, or as a substitute for hardwood flooring. Perhaps best used alone as an attractive landscaping live plant until further notice!

If you would like more information on bamboo and ways to start a simple and easy grading system that can be easily accepted internationally, please write to me. My contact information is below. The first step is for a large bamboo harvesting plantation in China to start a documentation process. Documented bamboo, which generates much more income (as if it were an “organic product”), will be the impetus for change. Even if change comes slowly, many homeowners, builders, and designers will happily get to the front of the line for a truly certified quality building material. Bamboo deserves a place in every home. But first, let’s at least know the age of the material when it was harvested.