So we’ve all heard the old wives tale that eating bamboo charcoal can counteract poisoning, and in the past months we’ve seen a proliferation of bamboo charcoal and bamboo activated carbon in everything, from our shoe deodorizers to infused into our toothbrushes and even as use as a deodorant?!

But did you know that feeding it to livestock can be equally beneficial in more ways than one?

More than a billion metric tons of solid waste and half a billion tons of liquid waste are produced by livestock in the U.S.A. every single year and brings with it many environmental problems and potential health risks. Waste aside, the smell of this waste can make livestock farms quite unpleasant to work in, and the odors and associated air pollution are often the limiting factor in expansion. Not only does this affect people, but it affects the animals themselves, making them uncomfortable and less productive.

Strict environmental regulations are in place by the Environmental Protection Agency for the management of the waste and ensuring that it doesn’t end up in water ways.

But what if there was a simple, cheap and straightforward way to at least significantly reduce these effects? You guess it right – there is! Bamboo charcoal. Just a few grams of bamboo charcoal added to the feed of each animal can neutralize the noxious ammonia and hydrogen sulfide gases produced by most livestock. It can also reduce the occurrence of bacteria in the guts of animals, also reducing to more pH neutral wastes.

And of course, bamboo can be grown in a wide variety of climates. An added layer of protection could be the planting of the correct species of bamboo as a buffer zone around livestock farms. This would reduce the risk of run off of livestock waste, while also providing wind breaks, reducing soil erosion and of course making your neighbors much happier if they happen to be downwind. And while the bamboo can be a great buffer it can also be harvested annually and sustainably with the canes turned into bamboo charcoal for the livestock, while the leaves also have great value – as a nutritious, fiber and protein rich feed for the livestock.

Talk about a circular economy! With just one great plant your livestock farm could be turned from a smelly, polluting enterprise to a holistic, self-sustaining and restoring farm, all while absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide, reducing climate change, and of course looking beautiful too!