Together, We are a Force of Nature

Since partnering with the Bamboo Village Initiative in 2007, we have planted over 1.3 million seedlings through our “Wear Bamboo, Plant Bamboo” program, which contributes to reforestation efforts on your behalf when you purchase any piece from the collection.

THE BAMBOO VILLAGE INITIATIVE

Founded by second-generation bamboo forest advocate Arief Rabik, the Bamboo Village Initiative is an Environmental Bamboo Foundation program that works to restore degraded tropical forests and create sustainable economic opportunities across rural Indonesia. Its goal is to restore 2 million hectares of land by 2030, through empowering 1,000 rural villages with sustainable agroforestry. A plant with immense ecological benefits, one clump of bamboo can absorb 5,000 liters of water in just 4 or 5 rain events. It is an organic technology that works to replenish degraded soil while sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Working on the ground with intergenerational members of the community, Arief’s approach is, like our own, rooted in a commitment to centering local voices and honoring traditional wisdom. Through building trust and exchanging knowledge, his goal is to generate synergy and harmony between innovative bamboo agroforestry technology, and rich local understandings of the land.

“Bamboo is this magic, giant grass that stitches up the landscape, brings back the water and sucks carbon dioxide out of the air,” Arief tells us. “There is a lot of land that…isn’t thriving right now. We can grow these degraded lands back into the forest of the past.”

Bamboo’s magic lies in its radical potential to restore communities from both an environmental and economic angle. Environmentally, planting bamboo means infusing the land with a living organism that naturally restores the quality and composition of air and eroded soil. When planted densely enough, bamboo continually regenerates. It is a uniquely efficient and responsible resource that can contribute to offsetting carbon emissions globally. From an economic perspective, planting bamboo empowers farmers to create sustainable village-level businesses. Whether it’s sold as a raw good to buyers, used to fuel local artisanal production or harnessed as a low-impact building material, bamboo has the potential to truly transform a community.

It is thanks to your ongoing support of our “Wear Bamboo, Plant Bamboo” program that we have been able to unlock and honor bamboo’s raw power and beauty. We are eternally grateful to our clients, partners and communities. Together, we are a force of nature.