Nandina Long Bench

Technically a grass, bamboo is one of the earth's fastest-growing plants and grows to maturity in five years or fewer. Bamboo is the one of best plants on earth to sequester carbon. It releases 35 percent more oxygen than comparable hardwood trees. By sequestering carbon, bamboo reduces the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide, the main contributor to global warming.

Although more than 1,200 bamboo species exist, Greenington LLC uses only Moso bamboo for its products because of this species' hardness, durability, and stability. Greenington uses only mature Moso bamboo that is at least 5 years old to ensure that the furniture is strong and stable. Greenington's classic bamboo is 20 percent harder than oak, and its exotic bamboo is 100 percent harder than red oak.

Greenington treats and kiln-dries its bamboo to the ideal moisture content before assembling products. The treatment involves boiling bamboo strips in a tank of boric acid and lime solution, which extracts the inherent starch that attracts termites and powder post beetles. The solution is natural and nontoxic, so you can be assured that your product will arrive and remain pest-free without harming the planet.