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.

We have deep admiration for the good work of 3rd Millennium Alliance. bambu was first introduced to Jerry Toth and his team through our association with 1% For The Planet three years ago. We have since been a keen supporter of their work. They are focused on one of the most ecologically diverse, but also endangered regions on the planet.

The Third Millennium Alliance approach appeals to us. They are there…on the ground, and they are working directly with the local communities in Ecuador. It is an approach we prescribe to as the most effective way to create positive change and an enduring business model. They are working to protect the local habitat and build sustainable local economies. A double win.

We have had several conversations with Jerry and his team about how bamboo, a plentiful and renewable local crop, can be a positive factor in their efforts.

YOU’RE INVITED to the world premiere of “The Last Rainforest of Coastal Ecuador,” a short documentary film about their development project.
Wonderfully filmed in one of the most beautiful environments on earth.

The film was produced by Third Millennium Alliance in collaboration with Conservation International and the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment. The film is 35 minutes long. The party will last longer.

Please show your support.

Wed. Sept. 8th at 7pm
Brooklyn Ecopolis Sustainable Resource Center
180 Smith St. 2nd Floor (corner of Warren St.)
Cobble Hill
F and G train to Bergen St., walk 2 blocks

We have posted their short video on the bambu Facebook page

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

Thanks for making the The New York Gift Show this year one of our best shows ever. It was really nice seeing our customers and familiar faces over the several days we ’set up shop’ in Javits. It is nearly a 24 hour journey traveling from Shanghai, but well worth it.

Always great seeing many of our customers who have stood by us for many years, or recently joined with us, and a joy to meet people who are only now discovering bambu. People who appreciate the breadth of our range, the originality of our designs, quality of our craftsmanship, and the ‘bambu way’ of doing business.

People are increasingly interested in integrating sustainability into their businesses. Wanting to offer beautiful, eco-friendly alternatives to their customers. We had some great conversations with a lot of people, retailers, designers, small business owners – and that’s really encouraging.

One of the major highlights was winning this year’s The Eco Award.

Our product was selected from among 250 entries as ‘Most Salable’ by retailers.

That’s a vote we are pleased to received. Full details from the official news release are here.

Other Highlights and Friends

Meeting again Robert from EcoShoppe and reviewing new store plans. Chatting with Mark from 3R Living about the challenges of retailing. Our new friends from South Carolina.

Meeting with Josh Carin. Josh operates Geppetto Catering the only Certified Green caterer in the region. Their green credentials are impressive and they proudly use our products because we are using Certified Organic materials, elegant range of products, and because we prescribe to sustainable practices in our business every day.

Saying hello to our friends at Joanne Hudson – Duncan, Jonathan, Sam – thanks for stopping by. We appreciate your business.

Meeting Lori Hill, of Lori Hill Events. Lori is sharp-minded and one of the original pioneers of the Green Movement in the DC area. Savvy Sustainable Events. Keep an eye out for them.

We appreciate all our customers. Thank you for your business. Thank you for taking the time to stop by our booth.

If you didn’t make it to the show, but want a curated look at the top 100 exhibitors (ours included). Here you go. From ShelterPop the ‘what’s now and what’s happening’ report. NY Gift Top 100

A few media highlights too…

bambu is featured among the pages here. Global trend spotters Trend Hunter were thrilled to discover our Coconut Bowls and highlight our ‘Coco’ Bowls here

Donna Schwartz came by to introduce herself. Donna is featuring bambu in an upcoming Gourmet Retailer article on Sustainability and Green Products. That’s a natural fit!

Spilt Milk for Moms covered our bambu KIDS utensils with a glowing review here.

New York. It’s a happening. The hard work continues….

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.

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.

Last fall, we spoke to students of the graduate program at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). That post is here.

It is the younger students that are particularly enjoyable to meet with, and who are a constant source of surprise. Children have a certain curiosity and natural exuberance that makes it really fun for us to share what we do.

We share a couple of those stories here from a previous post.

Our most recent school visit took us back to Shanghai International School. The children from SCIS are exceptionally tuned into the world.

Rachel shares why bamboo is preferred over plastic

Wonderful collection of comments from third graders from around the world.

You can hear those ‘kid quotes’ here.

They share a real desire to help create a healthy planet. They clearly expressed the benefits of eco-friendly products, and an understanding of why we need to reduce our wastefulness. We saw examples of No Litter campaigns, Use Less Water programs, and Plant a Tree campaigns at SCIS. It is fantastic to see the school creating these types of positive initiatives.

A prime example of this, is a presentation given by Deb Singer, the founder of Singer Sustainability. Ms. Singer shared a insightful presentation that brought forth several key principles that lead to success in the marketplace. And used three example companies to illustrate her points.

We were delighted (and, admittedly a little humbled), to be cited as one of the companies that gets it right. The other is a company we have long admired, Preserve. Nothing wasted. Everything gained. The fine folks at Preserve are creating solutions and solving problems in fresh and colorful ways.

Link to the presentation here – http://slidesha.re/ciWfuR

Deb Singer is no stranger to the world of sustainability. bambu first connected with Deb Singer during her tenure at Whole Foods where she guided the organization towards Whole Living, a whole new store concept. In her talk, she shares her experience and knowledge to offer a relevant perspective on sustainability in housewares.

While sustainability was the focus, design considerations are essential. Being ‘green’ is not enough. And it echos an idea that we frequently remind ourselves of,

‘it is not just about your beliefs, or your words, but about your actions.’

Green Products Exhibition
Another example of the ‘green movement’ building momentum in the industry is the focus the industry is putting on innovative and new products. Green Products Exhibition featured products that use alternative materials, are designed for disassembly, or that add value through social and environmental benefits. bambu had four products selected for this exhibition. Hybrid Cutting Board Series, for the first time introducing bamboo and cork together – two highly renewable materials. Our wonderfully organic and charming ‘Coco Bowls’ made from reclaimed coconut shells, and our Spork & Cork.

Green Products Exhibition

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.

……….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

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.