Mfarhanonline Social Media News: Name : Bamboo Bike Studio Big Idea : BBS holds bike-building workshops where students can craft their own bamboo bicycle — a sustainable form of transportation made in a sustainable way. Why It’s Working : Bamboo Bike Studio uses the money from stateside workshops to fund a bike factory in Africa, where bamboo can be harnessed into reliable, sustainable transport for very little money. Bamboo Bike Studio, a Camden, Me. DIY startup, didn’t intend to make its thoroughly tested, natural bamboo bicycles available for the mean streets of the urban U.S. In fact, CEO Marty Odlin says that the workshop — now available in five locations both stateside and in Canada — always has one eye on its original project: developing bikes in Kumasi, Ghana. “The original goal that we started with was to bring low-cost transportation as a bicycle to people who otherwise couldn’t afford it,” Odlin explains. The sturdy, easily harvested bamboo is the answer to transportation in the African country, which is home to Bamboo Bike Studio’s first factory. Run by locals, the factory produces bikes for $75 — a much less expensive option than the imported metal-frame bicycles many Ghanaians currently use. The Chinese bikes are not only expensive, they are also wasteful; imported bicycles rack up environmental costs in packing and shipping each individual unit. Odlin says that the company chose to create bikes out of bamboo because it is found everywhere, easily harvestable and remains sturdy for long periods of time. Plus, Odlin adds, bamboo is a natural fit for a bike frame. “When you’re riding the bike, it’s just very smooth,” Odlin explains. Odlin and his team have utilized their bike-making abilities to not only teach citizens in developing nations, but also back in the Am! ericas. Gung ho, eco-conscious DIYers can attend a weekend-long bike workshop to create their own customized bamboo bikes. Or, the more cavalier can receive a building kit from Bamboo Bike Studio and even choose to harvest their own wood. Odlin says that the operations on this side of the Atlantic are instrumental in funding the work in Africa. “We needed to fund the technical development, the supply chain, all that,” Odlin says. “So we came up with the concept of teaching people how to make a bike in the U.S.” Bamboo Bike Studio has now set its sights on developing a factory in Quito, Ecuador. And of course, those interested in developing their own eco-friendly bamboo bike can sign up for the many workshops the organization holds throughout the year. All that aside, Odlin says that the most important thing is to be conscious of your own footprint. “Buying stuff that’s wrapped in three layers of plastic is not the best way to be,” Odlin explains. “I think the DIY bike thing is a part of a bigger cultural undercurrent, which is a reaction against this over-consumerist thing that’s going on right now.” Series presented by GE
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