Star Bamboo Singapore

Great news for those who’ve been waiting to buy our eco-friendly bamboo chopping boards, but couldn’t make the trip down to Sago Street in Chinatown:

You can now buy them online!

CHOOSE. by Olive Ventures now has its very own online store.

The layout seems pretty slick and there is a nice variety of eco-friendly products available sorted according to product category or brand name.

I couldn’t find information on delivery costs, but James mentioned that there will be a charged imposed as most of their products are pretty heavy.

Also, when I clicked on the “checkout” button, a message popped out saying the minimum order value is $30.

Which is OK because a full set of our bamboo chopping boards costs a very reasonable $50.

What’s more, you could win a prize just by joining their Twitter or Facebook pages before 31/05/2010.

So go check it out today!

I met the young team behind CHOOSE. at a recent environmental forum.

James, and his partner Stuart, opened Singapore’s first dedicated eco-store just in September, and already I have seen a healthy flow of traffic to their shop in Chinatown.

It aims to be a one-stop location for all your green needs. There are environmentally friendly alternatives for everything from household cleaners and organic clothes to energy efficiency monitors and office supplies.

All the products are reusable, biodegradable, made from recycled or recyclable materials, or made up of chemical-free and non-toxic compounds.

James and Stuart are also going beyond retail, and reaching out to the community. They’ve got a whole host of eco-initiatives, such as collection of recyclables, printer cartridges and toners, and compost, and even electronic waste like batteries (got discounts on rechargeable batteries!). You can also donate your used items ala Free Cycling.

Other initiatives include promoting cycling to work by offering secure bicycle parking, shower, and locker facilities. The 2 guys are leading by example and cycling to work.

And of course, now you can pick up Star Bamboo’s eco-friendly bamboo chopping boards there too!

So head over to CHOOSE. today and check it out for yourself!

Update (8 Dec 2011): Just learnt that CHOOSE has left the Sago Street venue from 31 Nov. They are operating an online store at the moment.

We talked about eating bamboo, now let’s look at eating with bamboo. Disposable bamboo forks, spoons, knives, plates bowls and boxes, that is.

Most of our disposable cutlery are made of plastic, imagine the amount of plastic forks and plates we used and tossed away without a moment’s thought every year.

Then these two environmentally solutions appeared around the same time. Either great minds think alike or the market is ripe for such products.

Bella Bamboo (from Singapore) is made from reconstituted bamboo that is entirely(100%) biodegradable, without any artificial additives.

Eatware (Hong Kong) is a similar product, made of 100% natural fibers from bamboo, sugar cane pulp, starch and water without any chemical additive.

(Don’t they look like plastic?)

Making them from bamboo is always a bonus, as it is such a renewable source of materials. The more important thing is that these products are highly biogradeable, needing as little as 2 weeks to completely break down into nutrients.

But before we get carried away, don’t forget they’re still disposable items and designed to be used only once. If you could use durable kitchenware, that would actually still be the best choice.

After all, is doing the dishes really such a chore?