Bamboosa

Looking for a way to say Thank You to the men and women in uniform in 2010? Shop online at www.bamboosa.com to participate in our 2010 Socks to Soldiers program!

Beginning January 1, for every $25.00 in ordered products, Bamboosa will send one pair of our military green Bamboo Crew Socks to a soldier serving in Afghanistan. For example, if our customer orders $100.00 in product at www.bamboosa.com, we will allocate four pair of our Crew Socks to be shipped to the ground forces in Afghanistan. Each of the four pair of socks will be sent with a note that says:

These socks were ordered for you by _______ (name) of ________ (city, state) who wanted to say Thank You for your service!

We can also send a personal greeting or wish that can be specified in the gift message section of our on line order form.

We have been shipping socks to our soldiers stationed in Afghanistan and have had some very positive feedback on their performance. Soldiers have told us sand does not penetrate the socks, which keeps their feet much more comfortable. Our bamboo socks also keep their feet dryer, promoting healthier feet. As an added benefit, due to the odor resistance of our socks, they do not have to be laundered as often.

Our goal is to send thousands, or hopefully tens of thousands, of socks to our soldiers during 2010 and we can do it with your help.

What one pair of socks will mean to a soldier:

• Affirmation of the support our men and women in uniform have from all of us
• Healthier feet
• A little bit of comfort in their life
• Less time spent doing laundry

It’s a small gift to provide comfort and words of support to the troops during deployment – and we appreciate your participation! The program begins in 2010. If you have any questions, please e-mail cs@bamboosa.com or call: 800.673.8461

Great Read!

New Bamboo: Architecture and Design

By Marcelo Villegas

If you love visual books, New Bamboo is for you. The book exhibits the appeal of building with natural materials by showcasing some of the coolest uses of bamboo in modern architecture and design. From hardwood floors to commercial and residential structures, New Bamboo shows why bamboo is proving to be a favored material in the transition to more eco-friendly buildings.

From the publisher: “This is an anthology of bamboo construction by different experts: an agronomist, architects, a designer, and a builder, that showcases projects in Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, and Colombia, where this product has been used as a traditional construction material for centuries. Also covered are France and Germany, where architects are discovering the delights of working with bamboo.”

New Bamboo is available online at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/New-Bamboo-architecture-design/dp/9588156068/ref=pd_sim_b_img_15

Check out some other great bamboo books on our Web site:

https://www.bamboosa.com/bamboo.php?PID=44

Great Holiday Recipe: Bamboo Shoots With Cinnamon Sauce

Works great as a side dish or healthy dessert!

Cook/Prep Time: Less than 10 minutes from start to finish.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. melted butter or margarine (for a vegan alternative, try Earth Balance Soy Garden spread)

2 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. pineapple juice, unsweetened

3 cups bamboo shoots

Method:

Combine butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and pineapple juice in a pan. Simmer on low heat, stirring constantly until sugar and butter have completely melted. Add bamboo shoots and continue to stir, coating thoroughly. Heat for 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

Bid on a Bundle of Joy to Support Birth Defect Research for Children

We’ve donated one of our BambooBaby Gift Sets to the Great “Green” Auction that kicks off November 9, 2009. The Great “Green” Auction makes your money go the distance because all auction items are eco-friendly and proceeds benefit Birth Defect Research for Children – a win-win for the buyer, the environment and our babies.

The Great “Green” Auction will kick off on Monday, November 9, 2009 at 9 a.m. EST and close on Thursday, November 18, 2009.  Other auction items include everything from non-toxic toys, organic baby products and natural personal care products to organic clothing.  Shop from the comfort of your home and purchase unique eco-friendly products that will benefit a worthy cause.

Our BambooBaby Gift Set includes BambooBaby soft washcloths, gentle bamboo powder baby soapbar, cozy cable knit blanket, cute Panda bib, absorbent burp cloth and a purely natural little tee all wrapped up in recycled bamboo tissue and tied with hemp twine and a Gift Card. It’s the perfect bundle of goodies for any new baby!

Check out the BambooBaby Gift Set here: https://www.bamboosa.com/store/BambooBaby-Gift-Sets/BambooBaby-Gift-Set-6-p212.html

To bid on the Gift Set or any of the other great products, visit www.birthdefects.org and click the Great “Green” Auction link (in green text).

Birth Defect Research for Children (BDRC) is a national non-profit organization that was founded in Orlando, Florida in 1982. BDRC is concerned about the nation’s health, especially the health of new babies. BDRC is focused on educating expectant parents about the importance of a healthy diet, prenatal care and a toxic free environment during pregnancy. Because birth defects are the leading cause of death for infants, it is crucial that BDRC continue to educate expectant parents about known prevention practices.  Because of this, BDRC sponsors a Green Family Market of eco-friendly companies on their web site.

Bamboosa and Bambo Dino: A Mutually Beneficial Relationship!

We have another new, exciting partnership to announce! We are happy to have been approached and selected as the main clothing manufacturer by Bamboo Dino, based in Toronto.  This new company offers trendy baby clothes that combine the comfort of bamboo with adorable dinosaur characters to create a unique line of organic infant clothing. Bamboo Dino shares our business philosophy: to nurture our planet for the future generations to come and to give back to our society.  Their motto truly reflects what we believe in – “Comfort for your child. Good for Mother Earth.”

Visit them at www.bamboodino.com.

Bamboosa Has Partnered with Swadeshi Yoga!

We’re happy to announce that Bamboosa and Swadeshi Yoga are joining forces! For the past five years, both companies have been proudly creating unique and high-quality clothing in Andrews, S.C. Now, we’ve teamed up to bring green and yoga together! We’re exited and we want you to be too.

Our two companies have collaborated and recently launched three adult lines of yoga-inspired clothing for the active lifestyle: Bamboo Basics, Priya and Sukara.

The new product lines – which include skirts, pants, shorts, and tops for men and women – are all made of viscose from organically grown bamboo blended with organically grown cotton. We’ve incorporated the many Bamboosa styles that have been popular in the past with the great fitting yoga styles associated with Swadeshi. The result is that the new Bamboosa styles have improved sewing details and the Swadeshi styles are now being made with Bamboosa’s green fabrics.

Check out the new line by following the link below:

https://www.bamboosa.com/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=4

Swadeshi, a five year old manufacturing company in Andrews, has been making yoga wear for adults and selling to retailers and yoga studios throughout the country.

“We make things at Swadeshi Village, and with our years of experience, we make them well. Coupled with service born of commitment, we attempt to humbly answer the call for contribution by making everything we do an expression of the love that we have for our craft, our community, and each other. ” (Courtesy of http://www.swadeshiyoga.com/)

Hear it from Mindy Johnson, our Creative Director and a partner in Bamboosa: “The collaboration with Swadeshi is one that we have been working on for quite some time and we are excited about the new lines and offering beautiful apparel that is designed for yoga, Pilates and everyday comfort.”

…Or from Larry Urtz, owner of Swadeshi, who has over thirty years of experience in the industry: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Bamboosa who has been at the forefront of reduced environmental impact textiles and apparel. With a dedication to quality that matches our own, and high ethical standards, we feel it is a combination that can successfully face the challenges of a global market place.” Adds Mr. Urtz, “Soft on you, easy on the Earth, will be the catchphrase that sums up what is proudly crafted in our small community.”

Both of our companies have always been dedicated to USA-made products and employing talented South Carolina seamstresses. Here at Bamboosa, we pride ourselves on making higher quality, better performing, more comfortable, longer lasting, sweatshop-free, competitively priced, American-made apparel and baby products that are a better choice for the environment. We import raw fiber from Asia, and complete the yarn spinning, knitting, dyeing, sewing, printing, embroidery and distribution in the Carolina’s, keeping our environmental footprint as small as possible. We are committed to U.S. jobs, increased sustainability, social responsibility, environmental awareness and good corporate citizenship.

A Tribute From Our Soldiers

Thought we’d let you all know about a neat run of orders we’ve had recently. Lately, many of our orders have been coming from Afghanistan. Evidently, the soldiers stationed over there have discovered that our socks don’t let the sand through them!

We are so happy to be helping and supporting our men and women in uniform (and taking good care of their feet!)

You can check out the socks here: https://www.bamboosa.com/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=25

Our socks are available in both baby and adult sizes and are 85% Viscose from Organic Bamboo Terry and 15% Lycra.

What a neat honor!

Bamboo Flooring

Benefits of Bamboo Flooring

There is a new fad sweeping the nation: bamboo flooring. Though it is touted by environmentalists as a more sustainable alternative to traditional hardwood flooring, there are other reasons why bamboo makes the ideal material for floors.

Though hardwood flooring may add charm to your home, it takes almost 100 years for a hardwood tree to mature enough to be used for floors. Bamboo, on the other hand, only takes about three to five years to reach the maturity necessary for manufacturing flooring. Also, bamboo grows quickly and you don’t have to replant it, making it a much more sustainable process.

Bamboo blows hardwood out of the water when it comes to cost as well in that it costs up to 50 percent less than conventional flooring. Bamboo flooring can be nailed or glued, and can be easily installed over many different types of existing flooring.

Other characteristics of bamboo that make it an ideal material for flooring include that it is easily cleaned, hypo-allergenic, fire-resistant and long-lasting. To be fair, there is one area in which hardwood trumps bamboo. Because it is a softer more flexible material, bamboo floors are easily scratched and dented (though this is the case for many other woods as well).

How it’s Made and Types of Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo is naturally hollow and is formed in a very different way than conventional wood. Strips of the bamboo are laminated to form the right size of flooring. There is “horizontal” bamboo flooring, meaning the bamboo strips are laminated together so that the top shows the natural growth rings, making the wood have short, fragmented rows. “Vertical” bamboo flooring consists of strips laid on their sides and laminated to form long, thin rows of wood.

Another type of bamboo flooring is “engineered” and is not completely made of bamboo. This type is more durable than the pure bamboo types and is more moisture-resistant, making it a better choice for those living in humid climates. This type of wood is made by layering the bamboo strips, or plies, to make it a more stable material.

“Stranded” bamboo floors are made from bamboo fibers that are shredded and blended with an adhesive before being pressure treated. This type is even more durable than engineered bamboo flooring because of its density (which also makes it slightly harder to install).

Bamboo floors are available in a number of color variations, created by heating the bamboo. The lighter the floor, the less heat has been used to treat it. When bamboo is heated, it becomes softer and more easily scratched; so the more natural the color, the better.

Did You Know…

• …there are roughly 1,400 species of bamboo?

• …most bamboo species are pest-resistant?

• …the attributes vary between species, but most bamboo can grow in poor soil, and requires relatively little water compared to other crops?

• …though bamboo is typically associated with Asia, North America has species of bamboo in the eastern and southeastern part of the United States? Several species are native to Australia as well.

• …bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world? Some species can grow nearly one foot per day!

• …the bamboo used for clothing, surfboards, skateboards, flooring and many other products is Moso bamboo, a large bamboo – not the kind eaten by pandas?

Lovee Covee by Bamboosa

We’re proud to announce that we’ve joined forces with Peek-A-Boo Baby Inc. to present Lovee Covee by Bamboosa, a new line of eco-friendly baby blankets made from luxurious blended viscose from organic bamboo and organic cotton velour.

These soft and snuggly blankets are made from plush purely natural velour and are detailed with a beautiful blanket stitch in a variety of colors. Perfect for a gorgeous and unique shower gift!

70% Viscose from Organic Bamboo, 30% Organic Cotton Velour

Trim colors include Chocolate Brown, Sky Blue, Petal Pink, Butter Cream and Sage Green.

Wrap your baby in luxury with Lovee Covee by Bamboosa!

See the collection here:

https://www.bamboosa.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=221

Check out what Edie Coupe, president of Peek-A-Boo Baby, Inc. and designer of the baby blankets, had to say about the partnership:

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with Bamboosa, which has such high standards while producing its quality products, and embark on a partnership that will allow us to make luxurious and versatile eco-friendly products made in the USA. Our philosophy has always been to create products that are versatile and made from classic, beautiful and understated fabrics and this will continue but now we can make them in the USA with the help of Bamboosa and its great group of talented employees.”