Naturally Sustainable Packaging: Sasa-dango

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Matt Embrey .

Talk about sustainable packaging… These Sasa-dangos (mochi pounded rice balls filled with red bean paste and seasoned with mugwort) are wrapped in bamboo leaves and bound with a vine.  You steam it inside the bamboo grass wrap then unwrap and eat.  Simple, functional, beautiful and tasty.  

Bamboozled? The Debate Rages Over Bamboo

Posted on September 7, 2009 by Becky Striepe .

Don’t fret just yet! You can still feel good about your bamboo flooring and rad SK8 board. The product in question is the bamboo fabric that many folks are touting as a green alternative to conventional textiles, like cotton.

So I have to admit that the pros and cons of bamboo have been on [...]

Element’s Power to the Planet Collection

Posted on April 21, 2009 by Doug Gunzelmann .

They’re on my feet this very second and I am pretty pumped about it. They’re totally comfortable, dope looking, made from bamboo, and durable. Wear them this Earth Day, April 22nd, for Element’s Pick Up the Park 2009 Campaign.

Green UpGrade Your Kid’s Toybox

Posted on March 6, 2009 by Paula Mitchell Bentley .

This toy recycling truck is made in the United States from recycled milk jugs.  How’s that for an eco-friendly toy for all of our green kids out there?  The company making this toy, the aptly named Green Toys Inc., produces a whole line of toys from these used milk jugs that contain no BPA, lead [...]

Bicycles Built From Grass

Posted on January 20, 2009 by Derek Markham .

OK, so it’s not made out of the kind of grass you have in your yard, but bamboo is in the grass family. The bamboo plant is an amazing renewable resource, the fastest growing woody plant in the world. Bamboo grows in places as diverse as the Himalayas, Australia, East Asia, and South America, and [...]

Sustainable Bamboo SK8 Boards

Posted on November 20, 2008 by Matt Embrey .

Bamboo SK8 is a company that make their skateboard decks completely from Bamboo.  Bamboo decks are stronger than traditional hardwood decks so they last longer.  Plus Bamboo is a renewable material that actually enhances the environment and theirs are grown in sustainably managed forests.

Brazilian Eco Skateboard From Sustainable Papunha

Posted on August 12, 2008 by Doug Gunzelmann .

The Dry Leaf (Folha Seca) from Brazilian based Lets EVO is a clean way to travel and is made from some unique and sustainable materials developed by Fibra Sustainable Design. First off we have the Papunha veneer which is produced from the waste material of the sustainable palmheart industry. The use of this byproduct to [...]

Bamboo and Cotton Shag by Anji Mountain Rug Company

Posted on July 19, 2008 by Doug Gunzelmann .

I remember rolling around as a kid on shag carpet (hideous shades of orange) most likely made from some obscene synthetic polymer. Anji Mountain Rug Company  has luxuriantly soft deep pile bamboo and organic shag rugs that will smother you in a wave of nostalgia (natural nostalgia). Each renewable bamboo/cotton strand is about 1.5 [...]

Surfmonk Sustainable Bamboo Beachwear

Posted on June 17, 2008 by Matt Embrey .

Surfmonk is all about Bamboo and I don’t blame them… It’s highly renewable and soft as hell.  Their hoodies remind me of those old Baja pullovers, which were cool in their day, but I was never stoked to pull a burlap sack over my head after coming out to the waves.  These on the [...]

TEORI Laminated Bamboo Lumber Project

Posted on April 23, 2008 by Matt Embrey .

Upgrade: $39+

These pieces are from the “Laminated Bamboo Lumber Project” at TEORI Co. LTD.  The site is in Japanese and the Google translation is not so great so bear with me.  From what I can tell they commissioned 6 designers to make a range of sustainable products from Bamboo plywood and achieved some [...]