Green Building Materials

Attributes that help determine if a building material is “green” include whether the product is - natural - renewable - non-toxic - made of recycled materials - produced locally - reusable - certified sustainable. A material does not have to have all these attributes to be considered green, but, in general, the more of these attributes it does have the better.

BAMBOO

Bamboo is one of the earth’s fastest-growing plants and can be grown without the use of fertilizers or pesticides. While most trees typically need decades to grow before they can be harvested, bamboo requires only four to six years. Bamboo has also been reported to sequester 35% more carbon than trees, making it attractive in the battle to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Because of these qualities, bamboo has become a popular material for use in a variety of green products.

Not all bamboo is the same. Luke Schuette, president of Lamboo®, Inc., notes, “there are nearly 1600 species of bamboo worldwide. Some are soft while others are very dense.” To engineer a laminated bamboo product suitable for structural use in buildings, including horse barns, Lamboo, Inc. uses five species of bamboo that are harder than wood. “The structural capacity of Lamboo,” says Schuette, “is over three times stronger on average than wood.”

In addition to considering the strength of a material used in a horse barn, it is essential that any building material used in your barn is safe for your horse. “It’s really important to be wary of what may be marketed as ‘green’ substitutes for wood products to be sure they aren’t toxic, either in the material itself or the binding agents, and how it does or does not splinter if chewed since horses will nibble on whatever’s within reach,” notes Blackburn. According to Schuette, testing performed by Lamboo concluded it is safe for animal consumption, and horses are less likely to nibble on bamboo compared to wood.

An added benefit of Lamboo is that it burns more slowly than wood due to its increased density, making it less of a fire risk.

 (Read more)

(Excerpt of article by Josh Englander of HolisticHorse.com. NOT AFFILIATED WITH LAMBOO)

For questions regarding Lamboo or our products please visit our

website at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated

 

Blog by: Dustin Dennison