^^ Interesting.
This reminds me of the folks that built bicycle frames from bamboo. The rest of the components, which are most of the bike, were conventional. For comparison, I still have my steel framed college bike (1978, 46 years old) in regular around-town use. I have replace a good many components, but the frame is probably good for 150 years, with paint every 20 years or so. At that point it would be easily recycled as steel. The bamboo bike, made from resins more than bamboo, would probably have been replace 4 times at least. The more durable material, almost certainly, had the lower environmental impact.
And what of the shaker chair, made of wood with traditional methods, that easily withstands 50 years of regular use. I have made furniture (and boat projects) from discarded wood and other materials many times, but I built using conventional joinery methods and finishes so that the life expectancy was no less than virgin material. I never compromised the quality of the build by using the wrong materials. I think that is false economy, both for the project and ALSO for the environment. Build stuff that lasts and then take care of it.
Yesterday I was working on the lathe making some boat parts. Recycled materials, but in all cases exactly what I would have purchased new. I carefully collect limited amounts reusable scrap, and keep it sorted, like a hardware store. A stainless or aluminum rod or plate is good stuff. like new.
I'm not a throw-away goods person either. I'm heading out to go ice climbing. My mid-layers and outer gear are all high-end, but they also came from thrift stores and careful shopping. Only the mountaineering boots and helmet were purchased new. The climbing gear was purchased new, of course; not much future in buying used there in many cases. But it has been service decades because it was first quality and was maintained.
Cheers.
