Training in use of “Poor man’s timber” for youth

The Center for Development Partnership (CDP) a service provider to the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) has launched a bamboo craft exhibition and its first graduation ceremony.

The CDP is a non-governmental organization that mobilizes and trains young people on how to use local resources such as bamboo to earn their livelihoods.

The training includes processing and making of several products like bags, purses, footwear and many bamboo charcoal products.

The national coordinator of the NYEP Mr. Abuga  Pele said the bamboo craft production and other projects implemented in partnership  with the CDP is in line with the new strategic plan of the NYEP which focuses on the development and promotion of entrepreneurial skills and sustainable micro business ventures among the youth.

The project is a multi edged instrument that provides environmental protection through the cultivation of bamboo plantations and also empowering the youth with skills training as well as creating employment to improve upon livelihoods of individuals and the communities.

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An Easy Way to Install Bamboo Flooring Through Bamboo Click Flooring

Individuals and homeowners who love to do things themselves now have ample reasons to be ecstatic. For those who prefer bamboo hardwood floors, bamboo click flooring systems are now available, which allows even a beginner to set up an elegant hardwood floor. This type of flooring system provides many practical consumers or homeowners who are on a tight budget the opportunity to keep from spending too much money on professional installers. They can just do the task of installing bamboo floors on their own and get satisfactory results.

Bamboo click flooring systems are well designed flooring systems that are specifically manufactured to be fitted mainly as a floating flooring system. This kind of flooring systems fit together perfectly piece by piece, very much like a do-it-yourself prefabricated furniture or a jigsaw puzzle. Oftentimes, this type of flooring system requires very little skill level. You do not have to be a master craftsman to put it together.

If the consumer or the homeowner prefers to install the falling themselves, then the obvious option would be to go for bamboo click flooring. It would also be perfect if the subfloor is not designed for nails or glue. The only concern with this type of flooring is if the subflooring is not leveled enough, since this flooring requires a flat surface for it to click together and to keep from bowing and warping. This kind of flooring can basically be placed over an existing flooring and can supposedly be removed without destroying the previous flooring underneath. You can even take it with you if you decide to move.

Dealing with this kind of bamboo flooring needs some sort of preparation, just like any other bamboo flooring installation, for you to have a well-built floor. Before installing, the subfloor must be smoothed and leveled. If there are dips on your subfloor, you might have the most difficult time fitting together your bamboo click flooring. Moisture testing on the subfloors should also be conducted before any bamboo flooring is installed, because the presence of moisture can reek havoc on your bamboo floor.

Furthermore, to keep the noise associated with bamboo click flooring or floating flooring installations, some manufacturers may suggest the addition of a soft underlay material to aid in keeping the noise down. These types of floors are not attached to the subfloor, which is why they tend to produce more noise compared to other types of flooring.

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Show Some Skin This Summer With Eco-Friendly Fabrics

The word lingerie started off as an English euphemism for scandalous under clothing, and while today’s lingerie can still be shocking we certainly don’t talk of it in hushed tones.  Evolving from simple tunics to the Wonder Bra, lingerie is a staple in women’s wardrobes and for the green consumer, bamboo charcoal products offers choices that are not only eco-friendly but stylish.

This year in lingerie it’s all about the following:

Fabrics – While lingerie is usually all about silk and lace, there is an increased emphasis on providing alternative fabrics, including organic cottons and bamboo.  If bamboo sounds uncomfortable as a fabric option, not to worry!  Bamboo charcoal products  has a higher fabric hand (a softness rating) than most materials, including cotton and is luxurious in its feel whether it’s the Bamboo Cleo Pajama Set or a Bamboo Women’s Short Robe.

Colors – No nudes, pale or subtle colors this year!  If you’re dressing to WOW a special someone or just to make yourself happy, it’ll be easy to do with brightly colored lingerie.  The Perfect Nightshirt is available in Jade, Pacific and Raspberry while the Bamboo Women’s Nightshirt comes in all of those beautiful colors along with Pomegranate and Pool. 

Patterns – The brave at heart might go for paisleys or stars & stripes (seriously, they exist) but I prefer the simple stripes.  Consider the Tessa Tunic to make a statement without going overboard.  It also pairs up nicely with a pair of cozy cropped leggings which leads to the next trend….

Underwear as Outerwear – We’re not talking Madonna and a cone bra here.  Rather tunics, gowns and tanks that can go from yoga class to hanging out with friends to bedtime and fit in just fine.  If clothes that pull double-duty sound good to you, think about the organic women’s nightgown/dress or the women’s cropped bamboo pants.  Not only are they versatile but imagine what it would feel like to wear clothes as comfortable as pajamas all day long – it’s like you never left the bed!

Ladylike is back in vogue – Less overt, more subtle hints at sexiness, long and flowing, lingerie is more about the delicate art of seduction this year.  So get back in touch with your feminine side with a lace nightie or the flowing Molly long gown.  And don’t forget the Roxie Ruffle Pajama Set for a more playful look!

The comfort doesn’t need to end with your wardrobe either – invest in organic towels, duvet covers and faux bamboo furniture to make your bedroom as luxurious as your lingerie choice. 

Back in the day Jane Russell actually had a bra designed by aeronautical engineer Howard Hughes to accentuate her bust and while it was eye-catching, I wouldn’t consider it comfortable.  Today’s styles are just as stunning and with silky smooth bamboo fabrics available, they are certainly more comfortable. 

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Love sushi? Why not make it yourself

Twenty not-so-perfectly-crafted sushi portions decorated a plain white dinner plate. Marveling at my creations, I dipped them in soy sauce and prepared to take a bite.

It had taken me almost three hours to get to this point. Time to see if my work was worth it.

I had enrolled in a Sushi 101 class at the Culinary Institute of Virginia in Norfolk. When I arrived, more than a dozen student chefs dressed in white jackets and hats busied themselves with prep work for the class in the industrial-sized Kitchen F.

Outside the kitchen, chef instructor Jeffrey Fleischman spoke to an equal number of participants seated at restaurant-style tables to learn the art of sushi making.

“Sushi was the grab-and-go food for its culture,” Fleisch-man said, kicking off the class.

Sushi 101 is one of several Casual Gourmet cooking classes offered by the institute for the home cook. Fleischman studied under Japanese master sushi chef Hiro Hayakawa while working at Hiro Sushi restaurant in Lake Tahoe, Calif., in 2005, and now he’s sharing his knowledge.

Entering Kitchen F, I located a work station, where I found a cutting board, a paring knife, a bowl of water, and an assortment of fruits and vegetables. I slipped on the white apron with the Culinary Institute’s logo featuring an embroidered red spoon, green fork and blue knife.

We listened as Fleischman entertained us with his teaching style, using the space between the tables as his stage.

Given sheets of dried and pressed seaweed called nori, Fleischman instructed us on how to cut and slice the garnishes that would be used to stuff the sushi, called maki sushi.

Such care ensures that each grain of rice remains separate. Fleischman and his team of student chefs started cooking the rice before we arrived, and we watched the cooling and seasoning processes.

Before we dug in, Fleisch-man offered a warning.

“Sticky rice is very sticky,” he said, instructing us to dip our hands in water often and to keep a moistened dish towel nearby to wipe the work area.

Fleischman showed us our selection of fresh fish, which included salmon, tuna and eel. Cutting the raw fish, which when eaten by itself is called sashimi, he was careful not to waste any.

Then it was our turn.

I placed a strip of nori on the rolling mat, which resembled a miniature bamboo beach mat, and dipped my hands in the bowl of water. Scooping out a snowball-size portion of sticky rice, I spread the rice on the seaweed, starting from the top and working it halfway down.

As I worked, I grew less concerned with crafting the perfect sushi roll and more interested in what it would taste like.

Then it was time to try it. I took a bite, and it was so fresh that my knees buckled and my eyes rolled back in my head. It was the best sushi I’ve ever eaten.

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How Will They Get Their Bamboo?

It’s not unusual for organizations to host donation drives throughout the year.  The United Way thermometer is visible in many cities, soup kitchens ask for canned goods for the holiday and winter clothing collection sites are common for those in need.  But whoever heard of a bamboo drive?

Well, the residents of Edinburgh, Scotland, that’s who.  In anticipation of the arrival of giant pandas Tian Tian and Yangguang the zoo is trying to collect as much bamboo as possible for the new residents.  The Giant Panda may subsist mainly on a vegetarian diet but it still has the digestive system of a pure carnivore and does not have the ability to digest cellulose efficiently.  This means that it derives less energy from eating bamboo and must consume anywhere from 20 to 30 pounds of bamboo shoots a day.  (Bamboo is such an important staple to the panda that the animals even developed a primitive wrist bone in order to hold the bamboo more easily.)  This appetite for bamboo represents a challenge for a country not know for its tropical growing conditions.   

To give credit where credit is due, the San Diego zoo has relied on a steady stream of bamboo donations since the arrival of Bai Yun and Shi Shi from China in 1987.  Volunteers sign up on a rotational basis to bring stems in from their gardens.  And with the help of those donations and the Giant Panda Research Station at the San Diego Zoo, the pandas have thrived.  On August 21, 1999 Bai Yun gave birth to Hua Mei, the first giant panda born in North America to survive into adulthood.

And the Edinburgh Zoo is borrowing another concept from the San Diego Zoo and looking into starting their own bamboo nursery to ensure their guests are well-fed.  While there are nurseries in Germany and England that could supply the bamboo, the costs for importing the bamboo could reach up to 70,000 pounds per year.  So why not grow local?

The main concern for most bamboo gardens in Scotland is whether or not they will survive the harsh winters there.  Temperatures can easily plummet well below freezing but thankfully there are over 1000 species of bamboo and many are hearty enough to survive the extreme cold of Scotland.  And because the majority of bamboo plants is Scotland are clumping bamboo, there is little concern about controlling the spread of it.

While it will be a challenge to prepare for the feeding and housing of the Giant Pandas, the payoff is well worth it.  Edinburgh Zoo will be one of the few zoos in the world to house Giant Pandas and estimate that visitors to the zoo could double to more than a million.  When the Giant Pandas first came to San Diego on a two month loan, two million visitors crowded in to catch a glimpse and the introduction of Giant Pandas to the Adelaide Zoo in Australia brought with it a 70% increase in visitors.   

While you may not have a Giant Panda to feed, consider taking advantage of the strong, beautiful bamboo plant and design your own Bamboo Garden!

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Let your bamboo garden grow

Some people are a bit intimidated by bamboo because although it is extremely easy to maintain it is perceived as hard to control because it spreads rapidly. The spreading is easily remedied and the benefits of bamboo greatly outweigh the pitfalls. “Today” gardening expert Rebecca Cole has advice on how to get started.

There are many ways to use bamboo in your garden design. It can be used as a wall or screen to provide privacy from your neighbors, in containers for your deck, terrace or patio or as means of creating your own secret bamboo forest to wander through.

It mixes well with both perennials and annuals and can be used as a tall or medium background plant, an accent plant or as a low border or ground cover plant depending upon the variety you choose.

An interesting fact about bamboo is that the main stems (referred to as culms or canes) emerge from the ground in the diameter that they will always be. And, the next season’s new culms usually emerge wider in diameter and grow to be taller than the older canes. Therefore, the youngest canes in your planting are the thickest and tallest.

Here’s what to consider when choosing a bamboo:

There are two types bamboo root systems, (referred to as rhizomes) which will greatly affect your choice of bamboo. The first is found in more temperate environments and is known as runners. These spread like crazy and will end up everywhere if not taken care of properly. The second type is known as clumpers. They are normally found in more tropical varieties. Although this variety spreads as well if not pruned, it is generally not as invasive as the runner types.

Bamboo comes in a variety of heights and can be trimmed from the top if it gets too tall. Generally speaking the larger bamboos like yellow groove prefer several hours a day of direct sunlight, while the smaller bamboos (under 20 feet tall), can tolerate partly shady conditions.

In the spring, the leaves yellow and then drop. The loss is gradual, as they are replaced by new ones. A healthy bamboo should have a mixture of green leaves, yellow leaves and newly unfurling leaves. If leaves are dropping and there are no signs of new ones, then the bamboo is probably standing in water. If the leaves are crisp, the bamboo is probably bone dry. They are two totally different looks with opposite remedies and easily discernible.

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