Has the Plantations Chapter filed for tax emempt status with the US govt.
? Becoming a Chapter does not extend the ABS's tax exempt status. It is
an ardous task. Who will administer the Chapter ? I've done all of this
and it is a big undertaking. It takes several volunteers YEARS of
commitment. Good luck.
Susanne Lucas
Past-President, ABS / CEO, World Bamboo

On Sat, Nov 22, 2008 at 4:21 AM, ROBERT ROARK <bambooisgrass@...>wrote:

> Hello, from The Plantation Chapter of the American Bamboo Society! We
> would like to announce the formation of the newest Chapter of the ABS. We
> are presently seeking new members who would like to help create the first
> "Virtual Chapter" (ie: non regionally based) designed to promote the
> technical development of large scale Bamboo silviculture.
>
> To that end, we will seek to establish a "Plantation Crop Substitution
> Project" that may eventually demonstrate the viability of high value Bamboo
> in the place of highly subsidized crops such as Cotton, and Corn. This is
> an important goal that has been neglected since the USDA Bamboo research
> program was canceled in the early 1970's. At that time, research centered
> upon the advantages of Bamboo over Southern White Pine, for the paper/pulp
> industry, and the utility of bamboo as an effective means of reducing soil
> erosion and resource depletion. Today that comparison can be extended to
> many other crops, and industrial processes....
>
> The Plantation Chapter {(herein, PC) ( is that acronym "too cool", and
> irritatingly ironically on point?)} now qualifies for tax exempt, not for
> profit status, as a "scientific research based educational organization"
> under the US tax code. That means that we can apply for Grant funding, to
> establish a program that can address the issues that Victor, Richard,
> Kinder, and Raphael have been writing about, and it is our hope that
> everyone in this group will support the effort with their expert knowledge
> of all things bamboo.
>
> Just so we don't impinge upon the purposes of This group, we are starting a
> Blog (probably on gmail, but open to suggestions from anyone who may know of
> an appropriate place to put it) where we can discuss the wider implications
> of Bamboo's place in the "New World Order"; that seems a little
> more Disordered every day...We intend to provide a place where "independent
> academic studies" can be nurtured, and where policy and economic aspects of
> the "Bamboo Revolution" can be analyzed. We invite everyone to open up
> their hopes and dreams to the criticisms of those who prefer rigorous
> science to romantic rumination, and who want to see Bamboo rise above the
> status of a "poor mans material", to a position of relevance in the
> struggle for environmental sustainability (whew!). Please respond to this
> aspect of the work that lies outside the scope of This group, at:
> bambooisgrass@... <bambooisgrass%40yahoo.com> where we can talk
> about the politics and semantics to our
> hearts delight; and set up an ongoing conversation aimed at working
> together on the "Big Ideas" that will allow us to counter the present
> anti-democratic efforts of the "Military Industrial, Congressional,
> Oligarchical Complex"....
>
> IF (that's a big "if", at this point) we can get a site to work on the
> Project, we will need in the order of $1,000,000 to develop any sort of
> meaningful scale, within a reasonable time, (7-10 years). So for the
> present we are focused upon issues of site selection, funding, and public
> awareness of the project. The Credit Crunch has definitely put a damper on
> the program, so any suggestions or contact references are appreciated. We
> in the USA, have a responsibility to, at the least, lead the way toward
> cleaning up our pollution, and to work to provide solutions that can be
> adapted to other places....California is trying to put together a
> "portfolio of solutions" for Climate Change and Water
> Conservation problems, and has allocated some funds for Air and Water
> remediation grants for which the PC can now apply, so that's a near term
> target for our efforts; but the chances are slim that we will get a
> positive response without some support from other groups. It is a fact that
> there are more people on earth working on local "Eco issues" than at any
> time in history. We will try to enlist some of those groups as
> "co-sponsors" of the "Bamboo Revolution" that we are starting, so please
> think about getting endorsements and letters of support from your fellow
> "Eco warriors", to add to our proposals...."Green Tech" is the new
> paradigms, and we will be working on companies which have a stake in the
> solutions that we are seeking too.
>
> We seem hell bent on "Cap and Trade" regulation of atmospheric emissions;
> in spite of the potential for another financial "Carbon Credit" "Bubble"; so
> we might as well push Bamboo as one of the best and easiest ways to create
> locally grown Carbon Credits based upon the first year growth cycle....if we
> can prove that it is a viable basis for an alternative fuel, like some
> of us think it is, we have to demonstrate the processes.... so please
> think about that, and all of the other uses for Bamboo that are being
> developed, as our path to a "sustainable" future, and articulate your ideas
> so that we can present a coherent argument for the inclusion of Bamboo in
> all of the latest plans.
> ----------------------------------------------------
>
> We, (my wife Deborah, and I) were at the recent ABS annual meeting, where
> we met A.C. Lakshimina, and his lovely wife Satatragatri (sorry about the
> attempt to spell it, but it sort of sounded like that to me), and were
> reacquainted with Dr. Fu Jinhe. We were there trying to recruit new PC
> members, and had some success getting about 16 people to join. We had fun
> talking to Kinder and his wife, they are both quite funny and droll, and it
> was good to meet the people that frequently write to this group.
>
> The highlight of the event for me, was meeting Craig Calfee, of Calfee
> Design. This is the man who builds those beautiful Bamboo bicycles that we
> have heard about, and they are very impressive to see and ride.....But
> that's not the best thing about this guy. Craig is a man with a mission
> that we can all appreciate, because he is actually doing his own version of
> an international cooperative venture based upon local people using local
> bamboo to build local solutions to local problems, and it is great to
> behold! I urge everyone to check out his website and to learn about his
> work in Ghana, Africa....this project is a great template for the same sort
> of ideas that I have been trying to incorporate into the long range mission
> of the PC Demonstration project, and we had a nice time talking about all
> sorts of things. He is always "pushing the envelope" with his cool
> designs, and using his own money, making a great contribution to rural
> development
> in Africa. He intends to expand this program by making it grow and pay for
> itself, so I am hoping that we bambooseros will support his work in any way
> that we can.
>
> He threw out one idea that I have been thinking about ever since he said
> it.....He would like to use as much bamboo as possible for his bikes, but no
> one makes a bamboo wheel, yet. So there is a market for a product that
> hasn't been created, and that I have been trying to envision.
> So far, I have decided that it might be possible to use a combination of
> bamboo laminates and hemp fiber to make a tension structure that could work,
> but alas, I don't have the materials to build a prototype I'm sure that
> some of you have better ideas and access to facilities than I do, so maybe
> we could work on it together in a virtual collaboration. So check out the
> website: calfeedesign.com if you need a little inspiration.
>
> Regards to all,
> Rob Roark
> Plantation Chapter of the American Bamboo Society
> bambooisgrass.com
> bambooisgrass@... <bambooisgrass%40yahoo.com>
>
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>
>
>



--
Susanne Lucas
www.SusanneLucas.com
www.BambooSelect.us
www.worldbamboo.net


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