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Save The Environment With Bamboo Shades

By: Judith Persit

We can all talk about global warming and the perils that we all face in the environment, but if we do not act first at home, then all we are doing is talking. Yes, we do need to drive less, cutting the fuel we use. If we drive slower, we will also cut down our fuel usage. However, these are the most simple and obvious of the changes that we can make, and so many people can make more simple change at home, and that will have a bigger impact than any other changes we can make. Our homes consume a lot of energy. If we can limit this, then we can cut down our impact. Many of the changes that can help may be made easily with bamboo shades. While many window treatments can provide some of these benefits, and plastic simulated woven woods may provide some, only real bamboo shades made from the natural woods, can really provide all these great benefits, and they can still remain affordable.

Bamboo shades can help us cut the light that enters, giving us lower cooling bills. Many people cool their homes during the summer months using electrical systems. The light managing and heat managing benefits of bamboo shades blocking the sunlight are innumerable. Bamboo shades can block as much as one hundred percent of the light, and basic open shades can block from twenty five percent to over ninety percent of the light. This is an approximation of the amount of heat that can be kept out, and with the blocking of heat, we are also reducing the need to cool our spaces. All by using woven wood shades. The benefits of keeping the light and heat out has the extra benefit of reducing the wear and tear on your furnishings.

When arriving at home to change one's clothing, most people will lower the blinds or shades in order to not reveal themselves to the world. The next step would be to turn on the lights, thus using electricity. However, many bamboo shades can give us privacy with retained daylight, so we do not have to use artificial lights. Using unlined bamboo shades, there will still be enough natural daylight to enter the window and thus home occupants can use the bamboo shades to have privacy and to only filter the light and thus, save energy.

When considering the increased use of bamboo shades, one should ponder whether it might be a wise choice to be growing and milling bamboo for bamboo shades. As it turns out, bamboo shades are among the most environmentally friendly window treatments one could buy. There are usually no, or limited plastic parts, in the finished shade. Glues are usually silicone based, and there is not a huge electrical need in shade manufacturing. Going back to the fields, where the bamboo is grown, because bamboo is such a hearty tree, which grows very fast, there is very little need for fertilizers to be applied or for pesticides to be applied. The factories for the manufacture of the fabric are often low impact, as well, using human labor for assembly often in the place of energy intensive machinery. Bamboo shades are highly sensitive, and not only look natural, but they also are great choices for the environment.

Finally, one should consider the bamboo shades when they are to be replaced. These materials are almost completely biodegradable. With the exception of the metal and plastic parts, which are very small, the bamboo and threads in the shades will disintegrate relatively quickly, so one can rest assured that the disposed shades will not simply pile up in a heap. Rather, bamboo shades will eventually revert to an environmentally useful changing element. Instead of a pile of plastic from the cheap shades, real bamboo shades can help the planet.

In the end, window treatments can be part of a general strategy to improve our home environments. Bamboo shades may be particularly helpful. Woven wood shades can filter the light and still provide privacy. Bamboo shades are easily recycled. Bamboo shades are excellent at providing light control so cooling bills may be controlled. In general, it can be a great environmental decision to use bamboo shades.

Article Source: http://www.articlemonk.com

Judith Persit studied bamboo shades for her interior design degree, and writes about bamboo shades. Learn more about shades at her website.

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