Start the new year by making a few easy sustainable changes to help you look after the environment (and your wallet) better.

1. Carry reusable bags

Single use and plastic bags may be convenient, but we all know how costly they are to the environment. If you haven't already, now is the time to ditch lame, single use plastic and start carrying reusable bags in your handbag or car so you've always got one with you when you need it. They are relatively cheap, and come in a multitude of fashionable prints, colours and styles.

2. Use reusable water bottles and coffee cups

Plastic water bottles and single use coffee cups are still used everywhere. It's scary how many are thrown away each day! Bring your own coffee cup to the café and instead of buying water, fill your own reusable water bottle. Not only is it kinder to the planet - it also saves you money in the longer term.

3. Hang your washing to dry

This is the year to embrace the clothes line! Tumble dryers are expensive to run and use a lot of energy, so it's no surprise they aren't great for the environment. Air drying clothes is more environmentally friendly, saves money, and reduces wrinkles and creases (and ironing). And as it's less harsh on your garments, it also increases the lifespan of your clothes.

4. Reduce your home's standby power use

Many plugged-in appliances still continue to draw electricity even though they are turned off. And if you have a lot of these inefficient appliances in your home, you could be paying hundreds of dollars or more per year for unnecessary power and contributing more than 1,000 kilograms of greenhouse gases to the environment (source:  Choice). So to reduce the impact of these voltage vampires, make sure you switch off devices and appliances at the power point when they're not in use.

5. Use natural or eco-friendly cleaning products

Buying eco-friendly cleaning products, or trying natural alternatives, is another change you can make to go easier on the environment. Lemon, vinegar and baking soda are well known natural cleaning agents with endless applications to get your home sparkling. Or there are plenty of options in the supermarket to go greener and eliminate toxic chemicals to make your home safer.

6. Upcycle or donate

Doing a little new year spring cleaning? Instead of throwing away your unwanted items, try giving them a new lease on life! Can that unwanted item be repurposed into a fun craft project for the kids? Or is there a way to get creative and prolong the life of unwanted clothing? Cutting off jeans into shorts, or shortening a dress are ways to give your old garments a new lease on life. If it really is time to say goodbye, you can donate your pre-loved items in good condition. Donating keeps them out of the landfill and can benefit the local community.

7. Buy eco-friendly

If you're keen to cut down your fast fashion consumption and make your wardrobe a little more eco-friendly, there are so many amazing brands offering sustainable clothing and homewares these days. Here at Bamboo Instyle, we offer a range of earth friendly bamboo women's clothing, bamboo men's clothing and bamboo bath towels.

By making these few easy and eco-friendly choices over the course of the year, you could make a real impact to the environment - and save money along the way.

Bamboo and cotton are both popular materials when it comes to making fabric for clothing and homewares. But, what is the better choice? Stick with us for some facts...

Bamboo needs less water

Cotton is well known as a thirsty crop. Bamboo uses one third the amount of water as cotton to grow, and can thrive in poor soil conditions. One acre of bamboo can produce up to ten times more harvestable material than cotton, making it a sustainable choice for the environment.

No pesticides

Bamboo also creates its own natural defense against pests, so there's no need for chemical pesticides. Pest-friendly!

Bamboo produces more oxygen

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on Earth, with a growth rate of up to 1 metre per day. Bamboo grows 12 times faster than trees, producing 30% more oxygen than trees. Breathe in...

Bamboo fabric smells better

Bamboo is also naturally antibacterial, which means you can wash your linens without worrying about the buildup of odour-causing bacteria that can happen with other fabrics. So your clothing stays smelling fresh as a daisy!

Bamboo is super soft

Bamboo clothing is ridiculously soft, it compares to the luxurious feel of silk or cashmere. Bamboo wins over cotton by a mile when it comes to comfort.

More absorbent and breathable than cotton

Bamboo is 40% more absorbent than even organic cotton, wicking moisture and sweat away from the skin faster to keep you dry and comfortable - perfect for warmer summer months. It also keeps you warm and toasty in cooler weather.

More durable

Bamboo is stronger and more durable than cotton so it keeps its shape longer, even after years of use. Bamboo fabric is easy to care for and its antimicrobial properties make it resistant to odour-causing bacteria, meaning you don't have to wash it as frequently as cotton.

So what do you think?

If you are looking for a material for clothing, sheets or toweling that is environmentally friendly, long wearing, looks and feels great, bamboo makes a great choice.

Check out our great deals on sustainable bamboo clothing and bamboo towels.

There are so many reasons why bamboo fabric makes a great choice for clothing, towels and bedding. 

Here are eight of the features of bamboo we love most...

1. Environmentally friendly

It's well known that bamboo is one of the world’s best sustainable resources. 

But with a growth rate of up to a metre per day, bamboo also holds the record as the world's fastest growing plant.

And it’s actually not a tree, but a grass that grows new shoots after being harvested, without having to be replanted.

Planting bamboo is a great way to reduce our carbon footprint and help fight global warming - it absorbs carbon dioxide and releases 35% more oxygen into the atmosphere than an equivalent stand of trees.

Bamboo fabric is also 100% biodegradable, making it an excellent eco-friendly clothing option.

2. Naturally organic

Bamboo grows happily without the use of pesticides, fertilisers or other chemicals.

Unlike crops such as cotton, it doesn’t require irrigation to grow, helping to conserve our planet's most precious resource.

In fact, bamboo grows like a weed... it is possible for bamboo to grow a metre in 24 hours. Can you imagine it?

3. Antibacterial, hypoallergenic and anti-static

Bamboo has a unique antibacterial quality. It contains an anti-bacteria bio-agent called “bamboo kun”, found naturally in bamboo.

This means that bamboo fabric is naturally antibacterial, no matter how many times it is washed. 

And because bacteria doesn't survive well on bamboo fabric, it is odour-resistant and more hygienic than similar fabric types. This makes it a perfect choice for clothing such as socks and active wear.

Oh, and bamboo fabric is anti-static, too. Goodbye to clingy clothes!

4. Super soft AND durable

Bamboo fabric is both strong and incredibly soft.

Not only is it durable enough to throw in the washing machine, it's breathable and lightweight at the same time. 

And the feeling of bamboo fabric against your skin is just luxurious, soft and silky - it's often compared to the feeling of cashmere and silk.

5. Absorbs moisture

Another key feature of bamboo fabric is that it absorbs (or wicks) moisture away from your skin to keep you dry and comfortable.

This feature makes it a natural choice for sporting and active wear - in particular bamboo socks keep sweaty feet dry and odour-free.

6. Friendly to sensitive skin

Because bamboo fabric is so soft and naturally antibacterial, the eco-friendly bamboo fibres do not irritate the skin. 

It's a gentle fabric, making it perfect for babies and people with skin irritations and conditions such as eczema.

7. Temperature control

Because of the moisture absorbing and natural insulating properties of bamboo fibres, bamboo can help keep you cool when it's hot and warm when it’s cold.

It's great for newborn babies who are unable to regulate their body temperature - bamboo clothing and bed linen acts as a natural thermal regulation. 

It's also helpful in managing conditions that impact the body's natural temperature control, such as multiple sclerosis.

8. UV protection

Amazingly, bamboo fabric helps cut almost 98% of harmful UV rays.

This makes bamboo clothing a perfect option for protecting your skin - and your kids' skin - against Australia's harsh summer sun.

Convinced that bamboo fabric is for you? 

Check out our range of  bamboo clothing for men and women's bamboo clothing, bed linen and bath towels.

Hello :-)

Here at Bamboo Instyle, our mission is to bring you a range of high quality, stylish and earth-friendly clothing, fashion and home products.

We will be blogging on a range of related topics such as:

• Eco-fashion
• Environmental issues
• Opinion pieces, how-to's, tips and hints
• Health and wellbeing
• Home and garden

We would love your feedback so that we know what you're interested in reading more or less of. Feel free to contact us to leave us a comment.

If you'd like to stay up to date with what we're talking about, subscribe to receive our newsletter and special offers in the "Sign Up For Our Newsletter" box below.

Thanks for stopping by and welcome to the conversation.