Program celebrating World Bamboo Day launched at International Horticultural Exhibition

On Sept 19, the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR) and the Dragonfly Design Center co-organized a series of activities at the INBAR pavilion in the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 in Beijing.

Wang Chuncheng, deputy director-general of Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition Coordination Bureau, Zeng Hui, director of Art Design and deputy director of the Organizing Committee of Beijing International Design Week, and Professor Lu Wenming, deputy director-general of INBAR, attended the event.

With the theme "A Promising Material," the day-long program, a perfect manifestation of the exhibition's slogan "Live Green, Live Better," explored the various aspects of bamboo, including new material R&D, new design applications and industrial development.

As a satellite program of the Beijing Design Week, the exhibition and activities aimed to showcase bamboo as a low-carbon, eco-friendly and future-facing design material that will help us face and tackle the challenges of climate change and environmental pollution, and as a carrier of culture, inspiration and sustainable living, organizers said.

September 18 marked the 11th World Bamboo Day, which was founded with hope to raise awareness for environmental protection and the sustainable use of natural resources.

"A Promising Material" took place on September 19, for the number 919 is a homophone for "to save" and therefore conveys our plea to the planet, organizers said.

As the world is faced with the existential threat of global warming and our ecosystem devastated by the increasing amount of non-biodegradable wastes, many countries have taken the action to issue plastic bag bans, implement waste-sorting policies and seek new, eco-friendly materials like bamboo, they said.

Known for its biodegradable, non-polluting qualities, bamboo represents the future of green living, and has been gaining favorable attention from designers, manufacturers and policy-makers worldwide.

The current lack of new bamboo materials means that the research into the applications of bamboo needs to continue, they added.

To this end, Zeng Hui, Professor Fei Benhua, executive deputy-director general, International Center for Bamboo and Rattan, Fu Jinhe, coordinator of INBAR Regional Office in East Africa, Jeff Shi Dayu, founder and creative director of Dragonfly Design Center, Huang Chao, general manager of Hunan Bamboo Sea Carbon Source Biotechnology Co Ltd, gathered together as part of the program, sharing their insights and inspirations while carrying out in-depth discussions on the development, application and design of new bamboo materials.