Fair Trade Originalis our partner organization representing bambu in The Netherlands. We are thrilled to be associated with this group. Fair Trade Original, formerly Fair Trade Organization incorporated in 1959, is the founder of development trade – an initiative which has since been adopted all over the world.

Fair Trade principles have become the standard in which social entrepreneurs and values-driven businesses are born. Fair Trade principles are the backbone to bambu. To read more about How Fair Trade Works, click here . Fair Trade Original buys only products that follow fair trade terms and conditions, and are open – and able – to improve and make change.

Fair Trade Original only works with companies that adhere to fair trade principles. We are proud that bambu is one of those companies. In fact, bambu is the first company to be operating in China, to partner with Fair Trade Original. The FTO team recently visited us in China, met with us, and toured our production centers. We were most proud to show them our owned and operated small, efficient utensils workshop, Zhu Mulan.. It was an unusual opportunity for us to show a caring group of people, our organization, our people, and why we are proudly made in China.

We accomplished a lot. A small collection of photos from their visit are below.

Working with Fair Trade Original builds awareness and appreciation, and importantly, change for producers and buyers around the world. It is a partnership we are particularly proud to have created.

bambu has been a longstanding member of Green America’s Green Business Network since we established our partnership in 2006. Among the first companies in our industry to partner with Green America.

Green America’s visions is to -

Yes, yes, yes….we stand with you. Green America is a non-profit organization that exists to promote social justice and environmental sustainability. Some of you may know Green America for its’ commitment to promoting green values in cities across the country through their Green Festivals.

bambu was featured in the organization’s Green Business Profile in 2008. (A link to that article is here.) bambu has advised the group on issues relating to auditing procedures, and transparency in China.

Green America has recently introduced a tiered seal of approval for businesses. We are thrilled that bambu has been awarded the highest honors with a Gold Seal of Approval for our commitment…..and action, towards a greener planet. Thank you for supporting bambu. Thank you for supporting other businesses that support Green America.

Want to do your part? At home? Here are 7 Tips to Go Green in your home, brought to you by Green America.

Make it great, make it green in 2012.

Proclaimed ‘eco expert’ Danny Seo has a good story to tell. He raises awareness about the benefits of leading a lower impact, eco-lifestyle. bambu applauds this. We’re certainly all for living a cleaner greener lifestyle.

However, he recently got his facts wrong. Rather, he did not convey the complete story. And we felt a need to speak up! The Seo PR team works with the huge media group Universal Press Syndicate, and publishes Daily Tips. Nice idea. The following ‘daily tip’ caught our attention.

Bamboo is a great eco-friendly material that has a myriad of uses, but cookware may not be one of them when you’re stocking your green kitchen. Since bamboo spatulas and large spoons need to be glued together in strips, overheating them in bubbly pots of sauce or boiling water could cause the glue to melt and seep into your food. Instead, invest in solid metal pieces that are intact and free of glues.

Foul! Danny’s PR team didn’t do their research. Not all bamboo utensils are produced using glues. In fact, bambu has been producing bamboo utensils without glues since we started making our products. It is an important difference in our bamboo cooking utensils versus the other guys. It is a message we tell our customers illustrated in the graphic below…

Not only are bambu utensils free from glues and adhesives, but bambu is the only company that uses bamboo that is Certified Organic. Our sources of wild bamboo are ensured to be grown without pesticides or fertilizers. It is the same story for our bambu Kids products too. We go the extra mile on this because it is important.

Suggesting stainless steel as a better alternative as they state, doesn’t tell the whole story. Nor does it consider the impacts of sourcing and processing ore.

We wrote Danny several emails informing him and his media team about the differences, but we never got a response.

We felt it important to point out the facts so people can make informed buying decisions.

We appreciate the support for what we do.

Our Spork gets center stage among a few other notable mentions.

People are slowly getting their lives back in order.  While the physical signs of the earthquake are not seen in the city, the terrible catastrophe is felt by everyone.

Japan never fails to exceed our expectations. In places around the world, ofter the city people of a country are breezy, busy, important, and have little time for you, while you often get more gracious welcoming from people outside the main city (think Paris, think New York).

Not true in Tokyo. We found everyone we interacted with to be hospitable, polite, and wonderfully helpful. And given the recent events, amazingly resilient.

The quick snapshot below nicely captures the wonderful harmony of Tokyo. The man-made coexisting with nature. The sleek and modern, shiny and metal, hugging nature and framing nature. There is a certain reverence for nature that shows itself in so many different ways in Japan.

tokyo harmony

bambu Japan team

Ariel Office Tokyo

Meeting with our bambu partners in Japan. The Ariel Company is Japan’s premier trading company for wellness and sustainably-produced products representing a number of highly respected brands in the green sector in Japan. bambu and Ariel joined together in 2009.

The bambu core team at Ariel is comprised of Tomoko, Yu, and Keisuke pictured here with Rachel Speth, bambu owner & co-founder.

The Ariel offices are situated in Aoyama district in Tokyo. A small beautiful office with a terrace and view, topped by two wind turbines. The building generates its own electricity! These folks walk the talk. We had productive meetings. Our products and values appeal to the market here. Sophisticated retail landscapes, appreciation for design, simplicity, that utilize natural materials, and that are ‘made well’ and made with care.

45 dan Organic Junk

We lunched at the 45 Dan. The organic cafe owned by the same group known for the fantastic hand-produced denim and indigo clothing for men and women, 45RPM. The cafe prepares fresh and organic vegetable dishes, brown rice, wonderful salads, and healthful juices. Plus it offers a selection of their clothing and assorted ‘organic junk.’ A perfect stop for our green-minded group.

We joined with thousands of other people at the Tokyo Earth Day in Yoyogi Park. It was an impressive turnout of like-minded people, companies, artists, and musicians. The event was capped by a peaceful anti-nuclear march through the busy and intensively compact Shibuya district. People made way for the hundreds that joined in the colorful demonstration.

Earth Day Tokyo

Earth Day Tokyo

Here’s a tip. Our favorite retail store in Tokyo?   Tokyu Hands A place where you can find everything!

breakfast at Tsujiki Market

And of course, a visit to Tokyo is not complete without a trip to Tsukiji Market - the largest fresh fish market in the world. A fantastic display of fresh everything from the sea, and every product imaginable for food enthusiasts.  While the daily tuna auction is closed to the public, if you want view what goes on, here’s a first-hand look at Tsukiji Market via YouTube.

Our friends in Japan celebrate Golden Week May 1st – 8th. We wish you well!

DINING BY DESIGN brings together internationally celebrated designers and local talent to create three dimensional dining installations that awe, inspire, and delight. See dining installation here from the highly successful 2009 event. These extraordinary dining environments are Extraordinary. Elegant. Lavish. Outlandish. Creative, Romantic. Whimsical, and Daring. One in particular is noteworthy for the sustainable thinking that was incorporated into his design installation.

Eric Corey Freed is among the renowned designers participating in this year’s event. Eric is Principle of Organic Architect, LEED accredited and is author of ‘Green Buildings for Dummies.’

Eric presents his design interpretation below. Eric brings some extraordinary and clean and green thinking to his design.

Dining Concept by Eric Corey Freed

Eric utilizes recycled glass, reclaimed fixtures, incorporates a vertical garden, among the ideas included in his design.

He decided that Veneerware bamboo plates would be the perfect dinnerware for his guests to eat from. Made from Certified Organic renewable bamboo. bambu is delighted to be included in this important design exhibition. Proceeds go to fight AIDS.

table setting - Veneerware plates by bambu

See below the design details and material listing for Eric’s design concept.

Made from Scrap. Waste becomes Art. Waste makes a statement here in Shanghai.

Every year Chinese consumes 45 billion pairs of disposable wooden chopsticks which equal around 25 million trees.

The China Environmental Protection Foundation with the creative inspiration of DDB China, collected 30,000 used chopsticks from restaurants around Shanghai
to create a fallen tree 5 meters high and install in public areas.
The idea of this project was to raise awareness and encourage the use of reusable chopsticks.

This is the work of DDB China. Someone complimented this work as an example where advertising and art collide. we prefer to think of it as a message fitting together, inextricably linked.

It is all in the hands. The hands of farmers who cut and carry the bamboo, the hands of artisans who coil, and shape, and the hands of the weaver who weaves our baskets. To the hands in the kitchen, that create, assemble, slice and present an exquisitely prepared dish, or a favorite recipe. The individual goes into the making and comes out in the product, and in the food. It is the same with a handcrafted product.

It is this ‘handmadeness’ that is all about the products we create.

There is a similar handmadeness about the people who use our products and wonderful food they create and enjoy.

Here she reports on her own self-administered composting test of our All Occasion Veneerware®. Lots of people love our products, and share their experiences using our products. But this is one of the first times our products have been put to test after being used.

And we think that is exactly the way it should be.

We encourage people and caterers who us our products, to dispose of them properly. Nothing makes us happier to know our Biodegradable and Composable plates end up feeding the earth. It is also important to know that our plates are the only plate made from renewable sources that have been Certified Organic.

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READ ON…..

Compostable Packaging Test: Bambu Plates Breakdown: “

This week we’re thrilled to bring you the latest installment of our Packaging the Future compost tests, where we break down the real-life biodegradability of eco packaging. Although I started this series expecting less than stellar results (what with all the nay-saying regarding biodegradable packaging), I am now pleasantly surprised to say that we are two for two! This week we put the compostable bambu brand bamboo plate to the test and found that it really does break down quite nicely – hit the jump for our in-depth report!

Read the rest of Compostable Packaging Test: Bambu Plates Breakdown

(Via INHABITAT.)

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bamboo, bambu, bambu plates, biodegradable packaging, composting test, design, green design, green materials, green packaging, packaging the future, sustainable design, New Tag, All Occasion Veneerware, renewable ideas, bamboo plates

We have deep admiration for the good work of 3rd Millennium Alliance. bambu was first introduced to Jerry Toth and his team through our association with 1% For The Planet three years ago. We have since been a keen supporter of their work. They are focused on one of the most ecologically diverse, but also endangered regions on the planet.

The Third Millennium Alliance approach appeals to us. They are there…on the ground, and they are working directly with the local communities in Ecuador. It is an approach we prescribe to as the most effective way to create positive change and an enduring business model. They are working to protect the local habitat and build sustainable local economies. A double win.

We have had several conversations with Jerry and his team about how bamboo, a plentiful and renewable local crop, can be a positive factor in their efforts.

YOU’RE INVITED to the world premiere of “The Last Rainforest of Coastal Ecuador,” a short documentary film about their development project.
Wonderfully filmed in one of the most beautiful environments on earth.

The film was produced by Third Millennium Alliance in collaboration with Conservation International and the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment. The film is 35 minutes long. The party will last longer.

Please show your support.

Wed. Sept. 8th at 7pm
Brooklyn Ecopolis Sustainable Resource Center
180 Smith St. 2nd Floor (corner of Warren St.)
Cobble Hill
F and G train to Bergen St., walk 2 blocks

We have posted their short video on the bambu Facebook page