Back in February, Soul Poles Principal Creative and co-founder Bryon Friedman embarked on a journey to the far east with photographer Jonas Jungblut to find a more reliable source for our bamboo. In order to help our costs and to cut down on waste, Bryon set out with detailed specifications for the bamboo farmers to use when harvesting Soul Pole bamboo including fair working conditions and sustainable practices. After touring the countryside and taking in the sights as well as the culture, a deal was struck with a family that has been in the bamboo business for many generations. This has insured that Soul Poles is supplied with quality bamboo that meets our specs. On the other hand, not only was this a business trip but also an opportunity to experience a country and culture very different from our own. Bryon stated that, "despite cultural generalizations, the urban areas were very free and capitalistic, whereas the rural areas may have been somewhat repressed, yet quality of life was still extremely high." It seems that leading the simple life, even in rural China, has positive impacts on the mind, body, and Soul.

Photographer Jonas Jungblut documented the trip with his camera and will be exhibiting the journey soon at the Soul Poles workshop. Find out more about Jonas at http://jonasjungblut.com/

 

The Bamboo Master