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.

They go beyond selling eyewear made from recycled materials, and set up an entire system they call the Full Circle Recycling System. It is a cradle-to-cradle system, very impressive.

Star Bamboo is proud to be a small part of this cool endeavour. This is a match made in heaven.

After all, what better material to use in an eco-store than our eco-friendly bamboo flooring?

So we got a call asking for our bamboo flooring planks. But there’s a twist to it: they will be used as wall panels instead.

It’s not the first time bamboo flooring planks have been used on the walls. Regular visitors to the Esplanade might recall the previous souvenir shop near the taxi stand has this design feature.

We’ve even used it on the ceiling in various condominium apartments before.

But I really like the way it’s been installed in the Nanyang Optical eco-stores:

(photos credit of Nanyang Optical)

The first eco-store is at Parkway Parade, and the remaining Nanyang Optical outlets will be progressively converted to this new design concept as well.

So very soon, you’ll be able to see Star Bamboo products all across the island.

And do consider Nanyang Optical if you’re ever in the market for eco-friendly eyewear.

After that, I got an email from Daniel Moyer, the designer behind Funkin Function. He has agreed for his email to be reproduced here, so that readers may understand his side of the story.

Below are the main excerpts from his email, along with some of my thoughts:

Your only mistake is in assuming that I am a manufacturer. On the contrary, I am a one-man one-at-a-time furniture maker using the scrap from my furniture pieces to make similarly artistic longboard skateboards.

Each board is composed. Stock is arranged for visual statement and for physical characteristics that might contribute to the natural flex that makes these boards so nice to ride. Then I thickness plane, joint the ends. biscuit for reference, glue-up, rough sand, shape, mill for truck-mounting, finish sand, wet-sand-in a slurry coat of oil, buff off the slurry, and finish with a few coatings of hand-rubbed oil.

A one-man operation (OMO) like Daniel Moyer’s is still a manufacturer. But I see his point that he does not have the economies of scale. These skateboards are more akin to works of art – hand-crafted and one of a kind.

As a business model for manufacturing, this is a disaster. I’m not on a green mission; I’m just trying to be responsible with my own waste stream and make a wage from my time.

As a businessman, Daniel Moyer is entirely justified in pricing his product at what he considers to be a fair price. His rationale for the high prices is that his skateboards are entirely hand-made and artistic.

Where we disagree is what that price should be: his costs of production are low, and after taking into account the amount of manual work, I feel that he could still turn in a healthy profit even with lowered prices.

I realize that being thrust into the eco-spotlight by the BKLYNDESIGNS coverage leaves me open to whatever criticism I have coming to me. However, if someone were to imply I was seeking to milk or even bang the buying public while flying the green flag, I would find that most insulting.

I had never intended to imply that Daniel Moyer was taking advantage of the eco-conscious customer.

My point was that eco-friendly products should be more attractively priced to attract mainstream customers. Pricing them too expensively might actually slow down the green movement, as it creates a misleading impression that green goods are only for the rich and privileged.

And if the product is not intended to be positioned as a green product, then why not play down the “scrap wood” and promote the “hand made” and “artistic” parts?

There, I hope I have given a fair account of both sides of the story. Feel free to tell me what you think.

Unfortunately, reality is not as rosy as the headline.

The electricity market in Singapore is tightly controlled, and previously monopolised by Singapore Power – a corporatised body spun off from a government statutory board.

Liberalisation first started in January 2003, and it has been a slow process. The industry regulator Energy Market Authority (EMA) is doing it in slow, painful phases, beginning with the commercial sector.

The “easier entry” above simply refers to the scrapping of a relatively paltry $5,000 joining fee to join the energy market as an energy provider.

More than 4 years later, the entire domestic market of 1.2 million households in Singapore remain tightly bound to one company – SP Services (which happens to be a subsidiary company of Singapore Power).

It’ll be 2009 before a pilot trial to let the average consumer buy from other electricity providers even begins. Give or take another 2 years for the trial to be completed and analysed, it will easily be 2011 before we begin to see real alternative choices in the electricity market.

Even more astonishingly, the same CNA report above says that Singapore is planning to test by 2009 if renewable energies e.g. solar and wind power, can be fed into our national power grid.

I’m no energy expert, but it sounds like a relatively straightforward task. The Chief Executive of the wholesale market operator, Energy Market Company (EMC), Mr Dave Darlson himself admitted “there are no technical constraints to prevent renewable energy generators from joining the market“.

All these delays are highly unfortunate. The reason is simple – solar power.

Singapore lies in close proximity to the Equator (83 miles north of it), and so enjoys ample sunshine. Every day of the day, we get around 10-12 hours of daylight.

It is the perfect energy source – clean and abundant. Perfect for Singapore.

Let’s do some quick sums:

• National average monthly electricity consumption of a landed property in Singapore = 739kWh
• Latest tariff rates by SP Services = 18.88c/kWh
• Average monthly electricity bill of a landed property = S$139.52

Assuming a conservative figure of 8 hours of daily sunshine, a 3kW solar panel system will generate around 626kWh of electricity per month (with a 15% efficiency loss factored in).

Don’t worry about the calculation, just look at the conclusion:

• The solar panel system can provide 80% of the electricity needs, and
• save the household more than S$118 every month (or S$1,416 every year).

Why then we are not allowed to install solar panels to generate electricity for our own homes?

In many places including USA, UK and Germany, it is possible to install a “grid-connected solar panel system” in your house. The system is plugged into the local electricity grid, allowing excess electricity generated to sold back to the electricity company for a profit. A UK journalist even reported a 4.1% return on investment (ROI) based on his personal experience.

Imagine operating your laptops and air-cons for free. And earning extra money to boot.

However, a report by Singapore’s National Climate Change Committee (NCCC) says:

However, for the generation of electricity, the capital costs of photo-voltaic (PV) cells have not reached a level that justifies its wider adoption.

I’ve no idea how much a solar panel system would cost in Singapore, simply because they are not available here. Overseas, a 3kWh system in the example above would cost tens of thousands of dollars.

It usually takes at least 15-20 years to recoup the cost. Let the individual decide whether it’s worth the high upfront cost.

But it’s not just about dollars and cents. Encouraging solar power would reduce our use of oil and gas, and their adverse impact on the environment.

Singapore is already lagging behind many countries in clean energy technologies. Speeding up liberalisation can only benefit us, and our environment.

No wonder companies have been making all sorts of products from it for years, from flooring to chopping boards and other household items.

Star Bamboo was one of the first companies to make furniture out of the bamboo material. But it’s a matter of time before other companies caught on to this.

Now, being a flooring company, our strengths are in production. Our concerns are more functional than aesthetic.

So this is one area where design companies can really take the concept and run.

Just check out the following bamboo dining table set from Brave Space Design (via Inhabitat):

These pieces incorporate both carbonised and natural bamboo material for a lovely contrast of colours. I love the two-tiered design, with a handy storage space between them.

This also echoes the hollow bamboo pole, which is what they’re made from. Nice touch there.

They’ve used the Vertical grain bamboo material here, so the grain might look slightly busy as compared to the Horizontal grain.

One little suggestion I have for Brave Space Design is that they could use the strand woven bamboo material instead. It is similar in look to the Vertical, but the lines are slightly curved and look more organic.

Another benefit of using strand woven bamboo is that the furniture would then be suitable for outdoor use as well, say for a BBQ in the garden.

You might wonder why I am promoting bamboo products from other companies (i.e. competitors) here.

Well, their innovative designs show off the beauty of bamboo in its full glory. If it makes more people aware of the huge potential of bamboo as a sustainable building material, then it will be a win-win situation for all in the long run.

p.s. I’m checking with them on the prices, will update you when they reply.

I have discussed this issue before. It is perfectly understandable if prices are higher due to higher costs of manufacturing. But we have to ask ourselves, is it a fair price?

I came across Funkin Function skateboards made from scrap wood. They are made from scrap pieces of wood, such as oak, walnut, and ash:

We used to manufacture eco-friendly bamboo skateboards for an Australian company, before deciding to streamline our products and focus our attention on bamboo flooring.

Two things to note:

1. The boards are made of 2-3 separate pieces of scrap wood. These smaller pieces are much easier to source for than a single large piece of wood, which would make them cheaper
2. Unlike many skateboards which are slightly curved at the ends for greater control, these are flat longboard skateboards. This is much easier to manufacture, and saves on the cost of pressing.

A typical skateboard costs between US$50 and US$120 at this online skateboard store.

Yet despite these cost-saving measures, the scrap wood skateboard is going for a princely sum of US$495. That’s almost 10 times the price of an entry-level skateboard.

The bottom line is obviously important, but we green manufacturers also have a social responsibility to encourage greater use of eco-friendly products.

Pricing eco-friendly products at such sky-high prices is not helping the cause.

People could see that our bamboo flooring product was lovely and durable, but they wondered if eco-friendly products would do well in a market where price was often the prime consideration.

Would people be willing to spend their money on eco-friendly products?

The Cleantech Report should put these doubts to rest. There is tremendous interest and innovation in green technologies and products, evident from the increased investment in these sectors.

Some key findings from the report:

1. Green tech IPO values increased 156%
2. Energy holds the lion’s share of investment with air, water, waste and sustainability being mostly under-served.

Sustainability is precisely Star Bamboo’s focus.

We use highly renewable bamboo harvested from controlled bamboo forests, which allows for long-term growth. These currently under-invested areas will provide the next spurt of growth in the green industries.

The future is bright. The future is green.

(Link to additional information on Cleantech Report)

Wait a minute, it is from an academic journal. Forest Products Journal, to be precise.

This was a scientific study to evaluate the properties of commercial bamboo flooring, like those made by Star Bamboo. You will need to pay to obtain the full report, but I gleaned some interesting facts from the abstract (my thoughts below each point):

1. Bamboo flooring was more dimensionally stable than red oak flooring.

No surprise, this is one of the main benefits of using bamboo flooring – it’s dimensionally more stable than many popular hardwoods.

2. The mean hardness of bamboo flooring was significantly greater than those of red oak flooring at 65 percent RH and a temperature of 21°C.

This is verified by the Janka hardness scale as well. Bamboo flooring has a Janka hardness rating of around 1500, which is about 10% higher than that of American red oak (~1350).

3. Exposure to 90 percent relative humidity (RH) and water submersion caused more hardness reduction in bamboo flooring than in red oak flooring.

Considering the high hardness of bamboo flooring, this result is surprising. It suggests that bamboo flooring is not suitable for extremely humid regions, or locations which are open to rain such as bathroom, garden and balconies.

Thankfully, there aren’t many regions with a constant RH of over 90%. I hail from hot and humid Singapore – it is impossible to get through a day without sweating.

Yet our RH is usually only around 50% to 70%. In fact, most indoor environments have a RH of only 30%, thanks to the ubiquitous air-conditioning.

So it’s safe to say that bamboo flooring is suitable for installation in almost every country.

In any case, we already advise our customers not to install in the bathroom or unsheltered areas (this is also the case for most wooden products).

It’s nice to have some scientific proof to back up what we say in our brochures, it’s not all just marketing talk you know.

p.s. If you’re curious as to how I found the above journal article, it’s thanks to a new Google feature called Google Scholar. I love Google!

For example, you can choose to buy energy-saver light bulbs to replace your old incandescent bulbs. Or you could use energy-efficient versions of electrical appliances that typically would suck up huge amounts of electricity, e.g. refrigerators and air-conditioning units.

These products might cost you more to buy, but will cost you less to use. So they will save you money in the long run. Savings cents definitely makes sense.

However, there are other ways of going green which will not save you any money. In fact, it might even cost you more.

There are many wonderful items made from recycled and reclaimed materials. Buying them consumers less resources and reduces the impact on our environment.

But would (or should) you spend US$52.95 on a soft toy made from old sweaters?

Or an eye-watering £1,500 (US$3,000) for a rocking chair made from an old cinema seat?

Now, why are they charging such high prices? Is it because of:

1) high cost of materials?

Unlikely, these are recycled materials after all.

2) high cost of labour?

Maybe. Incorporating recycled materials into your products is an hands-on affair and mostly eschews the use of machines.

3) low and inelastic demand?

This would be my guess. Such products are very niche, finding willing buyers in a miniscule group of people. However, they are usually able to pay the high asking prices. Faced with such a market, it would only make financial sense to demand more for your green products.

Bamboo flooring is also a green product. So why are we not tapping into this niche market and charging high prices for our products? After all, I have come across bamboo flooring companies who charge 30% more than us for the equivalent product.

Even though the costs of producing bamboo flooring is higher than simply chopping down trees and milling the logs, my aim is to price them to wooden flooring as closely as possible.

My hope is that one day bamboo flooring would no longer be considered a niche product for the eco-conscious consumer, but a mainstream product that everyone could enjoy.

High pricing would automatically discourage the typical consumer from considering it or even finding out more. We would have missed out on the chance to educate and inform them about the benefits and beauty of bamboo flooring.

What a pity that would be.

When friends heard I was in the bamboo flooring line in 2001, a few of them audiophiles came asking for bamboo speakers and LP turntables to be fabricated.

Now, I’m not sure whether there’re any actual audio benefits to using bamboo. The high density and strength of bamboo could dampen vibrations and contribute to a purer sound.

Well, our company was (and still is) focused on producing flooring and never got around to this little project.

I did a Google search and it turns out that Fumi Masuda wasn’t the first. But there are some interesting differences among them.

Masuda made his speaker boxes using bamboo material similar to our bamboo flooring:

There’s also the Bird-Electron EZ-TAKEGTF2, which made clever use of a bamboo pole as the speaker body:

and even a bamboo speaker diaphragm created by Panasonic:

I don’t know how commercially successful the above products will be, but it’s certainly a great showcase of the versatility of bamboo.