One major downside from the bamboo craze that I was surprised to find conspicuously in this article is the monoculture and deforestation large-scale bamboo production causes. Like the deforestation of the Amazon for cattle, the Chinese are currently cutting down old-growth forests to plant bamboo. When this is done, a lot of the biodiversity ceases to exist in the areas where the bamboo is planted. Being highly invasive, it also has a tendency to spread into other areas of forest not intended for its growing.

Again, people need to thoroughly look at the fundamental benefits and detriments of a 'green product' or 'green material' before haphazardly declaring it sustainable or environmentally beneficial. Like anything else, good or otherwise, if done in excess and thoughtlessness, the result is probably going to yield some negative unintended consequences.

This article was pretty good as an introduction to uses, and overuses, of bamboo. However, I feel that the author could have mentioned that processing the bamboo, especially into clothing, is very chemical dependent.

I think that SincerelySustainable made a good point that there are unintended consequences if the entire process and results aren't analyzed carefully.

Bamboo is one of the most abundant plant sources -- and can be used in thousands of products and applications.

We have seen a tremendous increase in sales of clothing made from bamboo--especially shirts. Bamboo has natural wicking and anti-bacterial properties--and it wears nicely--making it a great choice for both everyday and performance wear clothing.

Who will be the George Washington Carver of bamboo?
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Robert Piller

Despite the fact that this crop can be grown and harvested in such a relatively short period, we're still driving bamboo species to the brink of extinction.

I think this says more about the unsustainability of our current consumption patterns than anything else.

The clothing industry has come a long way. Glad they are using bamboo, but is still one of the most un-eco industries due to the treatment. Clothing manufacturers must be mindful of not producing more "junk" that the world does not need. We should not deplete another resource due to our unconscious consumption patterns.