Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

For the OP, bamboo is incredibly versatile and fits well with permaculture. As you're in the desert, you may consider Oxythenathera abysinica, an African variety that is drought resistant.

Bamboo is used for everything in Southeast Asia - food, cooking utensils, containers, construction, tools etc.

We are starting a small plantation, mainly with varieties suitable for construction. We've just finished a small house and continue to build sheds, bungalows etc.

that is a seriously cool house do you have screens up to keep bugs out

The design of Taipei 101, the worlds tallest building.. in Taiwan.... was inspired by the strength and weight ratio of bamboo segments....

There was a great program about it on SBS only a few days ago... and here it is on youtube... all 45 minutes of it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tq9ZOUFDOk

There are no screens, except for mosquito nets, insects aren't much of a problem, I think it's the high roof and open design let's them escape. We don't have the fly problem that I remember from Australia.

It's warm here, so fans are generally running, which keep the mozzies away, if things are bad we light some coils.

Very nice house Plachon...

I'll have to watch that later. Bamboo is such an integral part of life in Asia, that it's taken for granted. Environmental issues and interest from the West is seeing a bamboo renaissance - there was a lot used at the world expo.

Good thing about building in Thailand is the lack of regulations, no permit was needed!

The house was cheap to build a pretty sustainable:
- No use of petrochemicals

- Very little 'embodied energy' (bamboo came from about 2kms away and was cut with machetes).

- No rubbish produced from the building site

- Energy efficient (no air con or lights required during daylight hours)

Once someone figures out how to grow plumbing T's in bamboo, I'm in! Also, check valves.

Im looking after about 3000 bamboo plants here of about 10 different species....and we do cool stuff like this with them!

By the way, love the house above, where is it Dufflight?