Monthly Archives: March 2007

Bamboo Bikes

Bike riding is great for your health, the environment, and all sorts of wonderful adventures. I’m sure there are lots of adventures to be had when riding a bamboo bike!

Flavio Deslandes is the man behind the development of a bicycle made of bamboo. He is Brazilian and he is an industrial designer from the PUC-Rio University. I met him in his small workshop next to The Smithy.

– The bicycle is one of the worlds most brilliant inventions. It is hard to find a disadvantage (to the bicycle) – except the material it is made from. Light bicycles are made from aluminum, which is one of the most resource demanding materials that exist. My bicycles are made of grass, he says.

But Flavio makes me see things differently: Bamboo is a resource of immense potential. And it is strong too. What makes it possible to build bicycles from it is that it is stronger than steel when strained in the longitudinal direction, 17% to be exact.

Sleep Naked (it’s healthy)

SleepNaked.org is a small, but persuading, campaign about why people should sleep naked.

Not only is sleeping naked more comfortable, but it’s good for your health too. Increasing your level of comfort makes it easier for you to relax and sleep…
If you sleep with a partner, being naked heightens the level of intimacy between you, and you are likely to have sex more often. You may also feel closer to your partner as a result of sleeping naked with them

I guess one can also argue if people sleep naked less pajamas will be bought thereby saving the environment a little.

Consumers Should Consume Fair Trade Consumables

In the UK, people are being urged to buy more fair trade products to make the world better. Things are going well so far when looking at the numbers. As always there is room for improvement.

According to the latest data meanwhile, sales of Fairtrade tea increased by 50 percent in Britain last year, while coffee and banana sales each grew by 39 percent.

The variety of Fairtrade products surged also, with more than 2,500 retail and catering products now available from over 260 companies across Britain.

The amount of raw material used to make Fairtrade products rose by more than 60 percent in 2006 from the year before.

Thanks, Evan!