Dear globalnOmads,
Deforestation of the likes of the Amazon, the Sumatra and mangrove forests causes huge impact to the global ecosystem.
But there's also a problem for locals that they have to chop down woods to live...
As long as there are demands, this won't stop.
People at the top of consuming chain, in other word "big fat wealthy people in air-conditioned developed countries", need to be careful of what we want.
Material like woods, sustainability only works when the products made out of woods are used more than the years it took to grow. This gives enough time for a new trees to catch up.
So when you are buying wood products, choose the nicest one you like and try to use it indefinitely.
Disposable wood chopsticks in Japan used to be made out of local waste woods from forest thinning.
Now a days, the production moved to market like China and there they chop down forests to make chopsticks because it is just cheaper.
Imagine people in Asia using disposable wood chopsticks every meal X 365 days X years....sizable trees takes decades to grow that the forests can't catch up...
Any good alternatives?
Yes, we think bamboo may replace wood in most cases and we should use more.
Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plant.
Large ones grows up to 25m(82ft) high x 20cm(8inch) thick in just a year!
As a material, it is strong enough to support building,
flexible takes form in desired shapes,
light weight to transport,
and even water resistant.
Very versatile and eatable too.
Look at all the beautiful bamboo crafts all over Asia.
One of our nOmads fell in love with the material,
designed a beautiful tablet stand for kitchen use.
Check this out.
http://zeitgeist.jp/en/bamboo-kitchen-ipad-stand-2/
FYI,
The mechanism of Bamboo is still a mystery...
The plant only flowers in 60-120 year cycle. Same stock flowers all at the same time, regardless of the locations. I've never seen it...yet.
And after the flowering, it all dies.
As for my solution for the chopsticks problem,
I carry a cool portable one all the time.(Pic in OUR VISION)
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