Got Bamboo?
I grew up in a country where bamboo was your common landscape. I was amazed how its stems and shoots were always towering over me. Granted, I'm not that tall either, but being vertically challenged was never an issue for Mr. Bambu. I'd do double takes every week, because in a month, those SAME shoots would be TEN TIMES the height and size of what it was! Then my uncles and male cousins from the villages would bring their machetés and chop them all off to be carried out in bundles from jungles to be given to my aunts for sale out of hawker stalls at the street markets the next day or just made and used into all sorts of things at home. Ah, the endless love cycle we have for bamboo.
And it's a good cycle to love. Bamboo is not only the fast-growing plant species in the world, its uses are endless and versatile, too. Everyday, eco-conscious industries keep coming up with new and innovative ways to use it in their products and manufacturing. It's also very, VERY strong. To put things into perspective, bamboo has a PSI of 23,000. Steel? 28,000. Impressive, if you ask me.
We all know about reducing our carbon footprint and fighting global warming on our planet nowadays. This past decade has seen an enormous leap moving in that direction, and it's showing! The great thing about it is, it's something that anyone can do, even if it's just a small change. It CAN be done!
Instead of buying a plastic pair of sunglasses, buy bamboo. Every pair is striated with its own unique grain pattern, and it comes in natural, carbonized, stained, and even painted! If the plastic look-a-like is a must, shop for acetate. It's eco-friendly, because it's infused with tree fibers and acetic acid found in vinegar.
That's what owning a pair of all bamboo or acetate bamboo sunglasses can do. Small act, but a huge feat in playing your part for Mother Nature. Sustainable. Strong. Not to mention you'll look stylish while doing it, too.