bambu » New Ideas

Just One Word, Benjamin (psst..and it’s not plastics)

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:08:10 +0000

It’s a brilliant scene from the classic film ‘The Graduate.’ Benjamin Braddock is being escorted by Mr. McGuire who takes him aside and in a word, provide some sound, older generation advice.

Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.

‘There’s a great future in’….HOLD ON.

Actually, many people missed this in the original screening. You have to listen carefully, but there is an important subtlety here. One a little more suited for the times. Check it out.

aka the ‘Love Food’ Conference

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:31:34 +0000

Internationational Food Bloggers Conference

The upcoming International Food Bloggers Conference could just have easily been called the Love Food Conference. Bringing together people who love to create good food, love to write about good food, and love to photograph good food. And talk about good food, and of course, eat and enjoy good food.

300 chefs, speakers, writers, photographers, bloggers, foodies, ‘tech savvys,’ all come together for the 2nd Annual International Food Bloggers Conference in what has become a highly anticipated event. And what better city than Seattle, and what better place, than Theo Chocolate to host this ‘coming together’ of food enthusiasts.

IFBC is the brain child and is orchestrated by those wonderful folks at Foodista.

IFBC = Food + Writing + Technology…..and this year, bambu joins in!

bambu loves food too, and our products provide an ideal canvas for carefully prepared and creatively presented food. And since sustainability and modern cuisine are key themes of this event, it was a natural that we would partner up with Foodista and the IFBC. Our Certified Organic, Compostable bamboo All Occasion Veneerware® plates and utensils are the equipment of choice for the Saturday’s event.

Among the scheduled events will be, James Oseland, Editor-in-Chief of Saveur, as the keynote speaker for this event.

Other scheduled events include:

* The Art of Recipe Writing
* Food Writing with All Five Senses
* Law and Ethics in Blogging
* Digital Food Photography

We will be on hand to share our range of food preparation and and serving products – all made from renewable materials, and produced responsibly.

For the Love of Food. It’s all about creating and sharing stories, building community, and celebrating good food. We’re thrilled to be a partner in this event.

food bloggers unite

Environment + Revolution = Envirolution

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 23:47:14 +0000

From the trend report comes

Envirolution

It’s a term this report describes the emerging wave of green eco companies in the lifestyle and home sectors. There will be some beautifully made pieces from companies and artists creating interesting products with a green focus.

Some remarks about our new Condiment Tools
Durable and lightweight, each of Bambu’s serving pieces is cut and shaped by hand from a single piece of organic bamboo (specifically, Moso bamboo, which is the ideal species for its versatility, renewability and beauty). Heat and stain resistant, these tools are safe on non-stick surfaces, and hand finished with natural, food-safe oil. Through a Fair Trade relationship, Bambu employs artisans in China to make its serveware.

Sustainability – the best definition

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:53:43 +0000

The word Sustainable and Sustainability get used, and misused with a lot more frequency these days. And we’ve heard countless definitions. Most of them poor.

We have sometimes described Sustainable = Enduring. And while that’s true, it is not very complete and requires too much filling in the blanks.

This is the best, most accurate definition we have seen. This is what bambu is working towards.

Sustainability entails the responsible caretaking and creative cultivation of resources — social, cultural, financial, and natural — to generate stakeholder value while contributing to the well-being of current and future generations of all beings.

-Alexander Laszlo, – founder of Syntony Quest, as quoted by Chuck Piazza, a professor at Saybrook University.

What do you think?

We have been looking for the right image to reflect this thought. V difficult to represent in a single shot. This isn’t it. Any ideas?

Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network – bambu Co-Founder, Rachel Speth

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:25:58 +0000

A group of female founders, CEOs and innovative leaders who run businesses in the world’s top markets are gathering on June 21st in Shanghai.

The “Take Your Own Path” event is part of the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network, and elite gathering of female executives on the verge of breaking through to the next level.

This the first global event of its kind focusing on medium sized businesses.

Speakers include Elaine Chang of Intel China, Huang Hung of China Interactive Media Group, Kay Koplovitz of USA Network, Geraldine Laybourne of Oxygen Media, Cindy Gallop of IfWeRanTheWorld, Maria Pinelli of Ernst & Young, Sabine Irrgang of GoFresh.com, Belinda Parmor of Lady Geek, Yue-Sai Kan, Chairman of L’Oreal China, Michelle Garnaut of M on the Bund.
Rachel Speth, cofounder of bambu, is participating in a panel focused on operating in emerging markets. This panel will discuss strategies for growth for medium-sized enterprises, and the role of for-profit businesses in social responsibility, including creating sustainable, measurable improvement in quality of life in surrounding communities.

Others on the panel include:
Jessie Paul, Author “No Money Marketing: From Upstart to Big Brand on a Budget” Amit Midha, President, Dell Greater China Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, EVP and Artistic Director, OPI Products, Inc.

Rachel was previously honored with ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ in 2007′ awarded by the Women’s Expat Professional Society in Shanghai.

Bamboo sightings – Ink and Big

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 14:43:23 +0000

We keep our eyes out for all things bamboo and like to share some of the cooler ideas we discovery. Here are two of the most recent ‘bamboo sightings’ on each of the coasts. Different interpretations and presentations of bamboo. Pretty inspiring stuff…..

We caught of glimpse of Karen’s ‘art’ as she was zooming through clarklewis keeping patrons happy during a Friday afternoon lunch in Portland a few weeks ago. clarklewis is the woodsy modern bistro that we have been trying to get to for years each trip back to Portland, Oregon. It was a wonderful lunch in an open and airy, semi-industrial space.

Karen’s magnificent tattoo caught our eye and we just had to stop her mid-tracks for a closer look.
.

It was great meeting Karen. She told us the artistry was done by the folks at The Parlour, a self-described ‘cruelty free/vegan friendly’ hair and tattoo parlour. Cool with us. It is Portland, after all.

We told her about bambu, and presented her with her own bambu Spork which she is ‘modeling’ here.

On the other coast, an ambitious blending of architecture, performance, and sculpture atop the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art by two brothers.

We were first tipped off to the Starn brothers when they constructed a similar piece in their Brooklyn studio.

They tell their story here..

The New York Times writes a full story of their most recent project here. Big Bambu involves the work and high balance work of several climbers and is a work of art that is constantly changing.

Check out this 3D rendering of their installation. Go to their website for more images.

There is more on this project and other works on their Facebook page.

The other cool part is that the The Beastie Boys,

‘You Can’t, You Don’t, and You Won’t Stop’

provides the music inspiration for this project.

The installation is ever changing and runs through October. We’ll be sure to check it out when we visit New York in August.

Eyes wide open……

NASFT interview – Fancy Food 2010

admin — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:55:51 +0000

It was great to be exhibiting again in San Francisco. We got our start at the last Gourmet Housewares show at Moscone Center in 2003 before it was moved to Las Vegas.

It has been seven years since we’ve been back in San Francisco to the city that we once lived. It was nice being home see new and old friends.

We had the opportunity to sit down with the folks at NASFT, the non-profit association that holds the Fancy Food Shows in San Francisco and New York in the summer.

Below is the interview and introduction to our brand and newest and most popular products for 2010.

You Say You Want A Revolution…..

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:58:58 +0000

……….Well…….ya know………..we all wanna change the world.

The bambu spork

It started with an idea…….and then it gathered steam……..it grew….others got interested. They add to it…… one person’s idea gets communicated to many……….and one person’s idea becomes the idea of several……and the beginnings of a movement start to take shape.

When Princeton contacted us and told us that they were starting a revolution, well, we were thrilled. And we were ready to join in the uprising and supply arms.

Spork Revolution!

The quirky wonderful ’spork’ has created quite a following. Part spoon, part fork, and sized and shaped to be used for numerous purposes. It is one of those items where,

you are only limited by your imagination.

Numerous people have shared stories of their affection for the Spork. How they use, where they use, and how they carry, and those stories have given us new ideas. Here’s Laura who received a bambu Spork in her Christmas stocking and now she carries with her.

Laura and her Spork

We have been creating new ideas around our Spork concept. First there was the All Occasion Veneerware Spork.

Then we introduced our bambu KIDS Spork. (Which by the way, is used by plenty of big kids too.)

If you saw us at New York Gift Show this month, you would have seen our next iteration of the Bamboo Spork.

Spork & Cork

Cork & Spork.
We have combined two renewable materials – Cork and Bamboo to create a unique, and transportable all-in-one Spork and carrying pouch made from Cork. Another in our Hybrid Series of products that combines materials.

So, we applaud the students at Princeton. And all those Spork fans out there, thank you.
Sporks have even been spotted on the comics page.

SustainAbility 2010 – score: level 3 – product 4

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:18:06 +0000

The New York International Gift Show kicks off this week at The Javits Center in New York. The company is showcasing the brands’s 2010 collection of products at its specially designed booth.

The booth we created is made from FSC-certified wood and soy-based adhesives. It is a natural fit with our brand.

bambu has also been selected for the curated SustainAbility Exhibition. The only company to have, not one, but four new products featured in this exhibition.

The 4 Products selected are:
1. Hybrid Series – Cork & Spork
2. Reclaimed Coconut
3. Bamboo DeLights tea candles
4. Bambu KIDS – Baby Bowl and Feeding Spoon

‘Degrees of Sustainability’ is debuting at this year’s exhibition. Criteria for environmentally friendly and socially responsible products and production methods has been established in a three-tiered ranking system.

bambu is among seven companies out of 220 that have earned the highest Sustainability3 rating.

Sustainability¹ – products which are manufactured or constructed with only recycled, recyclable and/or sustainable materials; and with “zero tolerance” for VOC; lead (for baby, children and food related products); aniline dyes, formaldehyde and chlorine (for textiles); and PVC, without recommendations for use and disposal.

Sustainability² – products meeting the criteria above, plus use of environmentally friendly product processes, such as renewable or alternative sources of energy in production, including wind, sun and alternative fuels.

Sustanability³ – products meeting the above criteria, plus adherence to socially-responsible business practices and/or Fair Trade products made by indigenous peoples which create viable, sustainable trades and markets in poverty-stricken and needy communities worldwide and donation of percentages of sales to not-for-profit organizations.

We are delighted to be recognized among the top ranking of responsible brands. The show continues through Wednesday, February 4th.

Back to School – A Day at CEIBS

admin — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 04:29:15 +0000

Over the last year or so, we have been invited to meet students from all walks of life, and share our story. Back in May we sat down with grade schoolers from Shanghai International School. The month prior, Michael Murray held class at The Hemlock School in Garden City, New York. Post is here. And before that, we presented bambu to a NYU students and posed four business challenges for them to tackle. We have a lot of fun interacting with students. And it stretches our minds a bit.

Last week, we had the opportunity to go back to school. This time, to China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). Internationally ranked, the school is recognized for its international MBA programs. More on CEIBS is here.

We were invited by Richard Brubaker to share our story. Rich is the leading voice on issues of Sustainability in China. The tireless Rich Brubaker, operates two leading and well-respected blogs on China, All Roads Lead to China and Cleaner Greener China. Rich Brubaker is also Founder of Hands On, a fast-growing volunteer and community support organization that is doing some fantastic work in China.

Rich is also teaching this year, Sustainability & Responsible Leadership to a class of 190 graduate students at CEIBS. Rich asked if we would break from our busy day, and come in and present our story to his students. We jumped at the opportunity.

Joining us for the day were IDEO, the exceptional design consultancy firm based in the US, and WALMART. We found it odd to be sharing the stage with Walmart.

But despite introducing himself as representing the ‘evil empire,’ Edwin Keh, COO of WalMart Procurement, presented some really interesting information on WalMart’s charge to bring sustainability practices to its supply chain. From our point of view, the jury is still out. We are certainly not going to change our views on doing business with Walmart. But we do applaud the desire to engage in new conversations. Rich shares more details of Walmart’s initiatives from All Roads Lead to China here. Edwin shared his journey of going from NGOs to Walmart, a dramatic transition by any measure.

Certainly a contrast to Rachel and my own transition from large multinational companies to bambu. We shared our journey, and the challenges and milestones along the way. As entrepreneurs, we can have a tendency to get so focused in our own worlds. We find it refreshing and insightful to pause, step back and remind ourselves where we started and why.

We fielded a lot questions during and after the presentation. The level of engagement was encouraging and reminded us the pleasure of being around young (global) minds.

We are excited to be embarking on a really cool ‘bambu China Project’ next Spring. We will be working with a team of CEIBS students to help us drive this breakthrough idea for China. More lessons, more students, more sustainable ideas to come…