A compilation of posts on the Internet about bamboo from Google Alerts in September:

• Inspired by the La Balsas rafts, the Shearwater Steiner School in northern NSW made a bamboo raft and took a trip. If this looks tempting, you might like to try it in Borneo. Insect repellent tops the list of things to bring for this trip.

• Like the look of bamboo but worry about it invading? Try artificial bamboo. Follow the links for pictures.

Bamboo house

• Online architecture and design magazine Dezeen featured a prototype bamboo house in Vietnam designed to withstand floods up to three metres above ground. From there I followed links to posts about the stunning Wind and Water Bar and more light and spacious low-cost bamboo housing.

• If you have a stray few thousand dollars for a handbag, Gucci have a line of bags with bamboo handles. Free shipping!

• Paddling a bamboo raft to school looks like more fun than catching a bus.

Rafting to school

• Thailand’s The Nation newspaper can always be relied upon for feel-good stories from rural Thailand. This story details a community enterprise in Lampang, in the north of Thailand. A range of items are produced and production waste converted into charcoal briquettes for cooking. Translated, the community has added nearly 40 acres of land a year to its existing bamboo plantation of 1,384 acres. This earns the enterprise between about A$ 6,800 and A$ 10,300 a month.