Hunt for a “Green” Plywood
Plywood Bike via Ecotality Life
Recently, I’ve been looking for a “green” plywood. Whether it be recycled, or something else fancy, I haven’t really been able to find it. I have found some products, like Plyboo, but I don’t think they’re going to replace typical plywood sheathing on a house because they’re meant to look pretty. Also, I heard on a special feature of “Kung Fu Panda” (a very respected source around here) that a lot of the bamboo forests of China are being depleated to a point that the panda is endangered. However, I don’t know enough about it to say that those bamboo products are forested from a panda’s habitat… I almost forgot to explain the picture: this bike is called the OLC (one less car). The frame, as you can see, is made of recycled plywood. It is not meant to last forever, but it’s supposed to cost about 35 bucks and can be recycled easily. It’s the closest thing I could find to “recycled plywood.” So if anyone sees a replacement for typical plywood let me know, will ya’.
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3 Responses to “Hunt for a “Green” Plywood”
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Hi There, Just reading your post on “green plywood”. The bamboo most commonly used (and the type used in Plyboo) is Phyllostachys pubescens, commonly called Mao Bamboo (and sometimes mistakenly called “Moso Bamboo”. This particular species of bamboo in not eaten by Pandas.
A second comment is that bamboo forests are not typically strip harvested, as is often the case with tree plantations and natural forests. In natural bamboo forests, one encounters bamboo poles of differing ages right next to each other. The bamboo used in bamboo plywood and bamboo boards needs to be approximately 5 years old, so only the mature bamboo poles are harvested. Bamboo has a rhizome root structure, so when a pole is harvested, it is beneficial to the plant, and a new shoot appears naturally in the harvested poles place.
Lastly, factories like Plyboo & Oriental Bamboo, only use FSC controlled bamboo forests, so you can be sure that all the eco concerns are addressed.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Bradley
Oriental Bamboo
http://www.oriental-bamboo.co.za
Wow! Thanks Bradley. That answers everything. Now I want something made out of bamboo.
I am writing to say what a great job you did on this as you have put a lot of work into it.