Report by Drishti Baheti
World Bamboo Day is an annual celebration held on September 18th to raise awareness about the incredible potential of bamboo and its contribution to sustainable development, environmental protection, and poverty alleviation worldwide.
The Beauty of Bamboo
Bamboo is often referred to as “the plant of a thousand uses” due to its remarkable versatility.
It is a renewable resource that grows rapidly, making it an eco-friendly alternative to traditional materials like wood, plastic, and steel. This plant has a wide range of applications, from
construction and furniture to textiles, paper, and even food.
It is a very hardy plant that survives almost all types of weather and rarely has a pest problem. It is very easy to grow and use bamboo.
World Bamboo Day was established on September 18th by the World Bamboo Organization to
promote bamboo.
The choice of this date honors the renowned statesman and Nobel laureate, Kofi Annan, who visited a bamboo plantation in India on September 18, 2004, and declared bamboo as “green gold” for its potential to alleviate poverty and protect the environment. At the time, he was the Secretary General of the United Nations.
Since then, World Bamboo Day has grown into an annual event.
World Bamboo Day is celebrated through workshops, exhibitions, and educational programs. These events showcase bamboo’s diverse applications, from construction to fashion. People come together to learn about its sustainability, environmental benefits, and its role in supporting livelihoods, fostering innovation, and combating climate change.
Bamboo in India
India is the world’s second largest (after China) producer of bamboo.
Mizoram is India’s largest producer of bamboo.
As per the State of the Forests Report 2021, India has 15 million hectares of bamboo growth. Mizoram and Arunachal are the top two producers.
We have almost 136 species of bamboo in India!
In October 2006, the Government of India launched the National Bamboo Mission.
However, India is not among the top exporters of bamboo. That goes to China, Vietnam, Netherlands, and Thailand.
Bamboo is used as a native food item, fodder, construction material, water pipes and conduits, fabric, absorbent industrial material, biofuel, and the most important – its ability to absorb greenhouse gases and produce oxygen.
Let’s do Bamboo Day!
Here are some ideas to help you mark Bamboo Day.
Eat a dish made of bamboo.
Build a small bamboo structure. It can be anything.
Buy a small bamboo plant to keep at home.
Buy a piece of clothing made of bamboo (it’s super soft, absorbent, and very durable).
If you have an air quality monitor or a CO2 monitor at home, test the idea that bamboo is a purifying plant. Measure the air quality of a closed room for 5 days and record your findings. Then, place 2-3 bamboo plants in the room and measure the CO2 levels. Note the difference. Ensure that you take readings at the same times every day. For more fun, you can repeat the experiment with any other indoor plant and see if bamboo is more or less efficient!