My fascination with non-wood 'woods' has continued since my post on bamboo last year. BBC has an interesting feature on wood alternatives that counter the demand for teak and other unsustainable hardwoods.
Rice hulls which are powdered, blended with salt and mineral oil, and pressed to form a waterproof form a luminous wood alternative called Resysta. Sorghum stalks are a top choice for construction product manufacturers, as are hemp panels, coconut mosaic tile, and a range of bamboo products.
Speaking of bamboo - I finally bought myself a bamboo cutting board. And I'm eyeing up this bamboo 'infused' Asus laptop. Developing sustainable tastes isn't very hard when so many other grasses and grains become beautiful. But as with any new and cutting edge development, I wonder what we're missing. What is the big-picture environmental impact of producing these wood alternatives? How can you accurately estimate the conflicting values of possibly energy-intense processes for Resysta compared to old-growth forests of the Amazon? Who wins?
And is sustainability the challenge? or should we be questioning our consumption habits instead?
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