Bamboo… A Solid Investment

As news of the economy continues to dominate the world’s attention, many are discussing ways to recharge the economy through innovative and environmentally sound methods. Entrepreneurs are now viewing clean energy plans as not only an ecologically kinder way to power our lives, but also as a means of creating a promising new market and thousands of high-tech, green energy jobs. Just as clean power can end up being the better choice economically, bamboo is a building resource which has proven to be a solid investment. Read on to discover how this dynamic plant manages to fulfill dual goals of being good for the planet and good for your wallet at the same time.

Cost-Effective Construction

Home projects do not have to break the bank. In building an outdoor fence, for example, before heading to your local home improvement mega-store, consider building more efficiently and cost-effectively with bamboo. You’ll be saving money in more ways than you might imagine.
Timber: When it comes to traditional hardwood fences – typically made of cedar or redwood – building a 6ft privacy fence can run you at least 14 dollars per foot, and usually much more. Using sustainable Cali Bamboo fencing, an 8ft tall fence can be constructed for this same price or less.

Installation: When building your fence, one way to cut costs is to install it yourself. However, if you’re dealing with a hardwood fence this can require a great deal of planning, heavy tool-use, time, and effort, but CaliBamboo fences are designed to be quick do-it-yourself projects, easily accomplished in one afternoon.

Style: Another cost-related factor to consider when selecting a fence is the style. Many prefer a more unique look using an ornamental or decorative fence, but this can run the price up significantly. Luckily, bamboo’s innate elegance and exotic flair guarantees each fence will bring a distinctive look to your yard.

Resilience: “Whatever type of fence you choose, make sure you take care of it.” says Texas fence expert, Richard Novigrod, who has ten years experience building fences. In order to save money spent on future upkeep and repairs, make sure your new fence is strong and durable. CaliBamboo fencing has stood the tests of time and nature, enduring floods, blizzards, category 3 hurricanes, and heat waves.

Preserving Land, Homes, and Infrastructure

“Running” bamboo (species with a spreading root system rather than a clumping one) form a dense, underground network of new stalks and roots making a very effective barrier to erosion. When planted along steep hillsides, streams, or gullies, the net-like root system can help stabilize the soil and prevent landslides. In the event of an earthquake, bamboo’s natural protective quality would have the capacity to save costly homes, buildings and city infrastructure. Science Daily reports that “the economic costs of landslides in the U.S. are conservatively estimated between $1 and $2 billion per year.” Imagine the taxpayer dollars that could be saved if bamboo were put to work in landslide-prone areas!

Cutting the Atmosphere’s Clean-up Bill

When it comes to the fight against global warming, every effort counts, not just in an environmental sense, but in a financial one as well. According to Forbes magazine, it will cost the U.S. economy about $150 billion a year to stabilize greenhouse gases by 2030. Believe it or not, bamboo can help! Due to its rapid growth rate, bamboo sequesters four times as much of the harmful greenhouse gas, CO2, as hardwood trees, and generates up to 35 percent more oxygen.

Preventing Deforestation

In many countries, bamboo has even helped to solve the urgent problem of deforestation — giving loggers a cheap and reliable alternative to cutting down trees used for traditional lumber. Unlike hardwood trees, which take centuries to mature, bamboo reaches maturity in 3 to 5 years and can therefore be cultivated on farms to provide a cost-effective, steel-like timber at a much faster rate. What’s more, the spread of bamboo farms and bamboo timber treatment plants has, in turn, created jobs for many living in poorer nations.

Read more in this article published by the United Nations