Welcome to the New Hemp Era
brianlux
Posts: 42,033
Wouldn't it be great if we could find one simple answer to all of the world problems? Of course that won't happen but having done a lot of reading about hemp lately, I would like to propose a (and discuss here) the potential for the cultivation of hemp as a major source of relief from many of the big problems we face today.
Some of the benefits I've been reading about hemp include:
-Nutritional value from its seeds. Many nutritious food and beverages are now made from hemp.
-The plant's ability to nitrogen fix soil and stabilize damaged ground.
-It's use as a non-toxic fiber for clothing and paper (the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp).
-Hemp's use in construction. Hemp insulation is superb. Houses made of hemp draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and create non-toxic living environments. "Hurd", the woody core of hemp makes an excellent building material.
-A bi-product of hemp using a process known as "gasification" creates an excellent, clean fuel.
-Parts of the hemp plant have been used to make body parts for vehicles (including cultivator tractors growing more hemp) that are stronger than steel!
-"Hempcrete" is a product made from hemp that is stronger, lighter and more environmentally friendly than concrete.
-Hemp plastics are a great alternative to petroleum plastics and are much more environmentally friendly.
-Cultivating hemp will reduce our dependence on oil
-Increased cultivation of hemp will solve many issues that will in turn reduce the likelihood of some wars.
The excellent benefits of hemp are just starting to blossom and will be greatly increase soon. Cultivation of hemp is going to do great things for our world! Welcome to the New Era of Hemp!
The best book I've read on hemp so far is Doug Fine's recent book Hemp Bound. I hope we'll see further suggested readings here and more information on hemp. I know this all sounds too good to be true but really, it's not. It's all true!
Some of the benefits I've been reading about hemp include:
-Nutritional value from its seeds. Many nutritious food and beverages are now made from hemp.
-The plant's ability to nitrogen fix soil and stabilize damaged ground.
-It's use as a non-toxic fiber for clothing and paper (the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp).
-Hemp's use in construction. Hemp insulation is superb. Houses made of hemp draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and create non-toxic living environments. "Hurd", the woody core of hemp makes an excellent building material.
-A bi-product of hemp using a process known as "gasification" creates an excellent, clean fuel.
-Parts of the hemp plant have been used to make body parts for vehicles (including cultivator tractors growing more hemp) that are stronger than steel!
-"Hempcrete" is a product made from hemp that is stronger, lighter and more environmentally friendly than concrete.
-Hemp plastics are a great alternative to petroleum plastics and are much more environmentally friendly.
-Cultivating hemp will reduce our dependence on oil
-Increased cultivation of hemp will solve many issues that will in turn reduce the likelihood of some wars.
The excellent benefits of hemp are just starting to blossom and will be greatly increase soon. Cultivation of hemp is going to do great things for our world! Welcome to the New Era of Hemp!
The best book I've read on hemp so far is Doug Fine's recent book Hemp Bound. I hope we'll see further suggested readings here and more information on hemp. I know this all sounds too good to be true but really, it's not. It's all true!
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.
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Thanks! And agreed. Just imagine the benefits.
Yes, a classic!
Several states have passes laws legalizing non-intoxicating (and, of course, a few have legalized the THC potent stuff) hemp. Once the feds relax on this issue- and they will- we'll be cultivating hemp big time again. It's going to be good!
Haha! Your a styin' dude, mookey.
But seriously, hemp has so much more to offer than merely fabrics and textile choices. The list I posted above covers a lot of ground and I'm sure there's more to it than that.
The other thing that bears mentioning is that the importance and usefulness of hemp will transcend styles, cliques and all things hip. Some of the people who are on the front lines of bringing on hemp are cool and groovy and some are very conservative. This is not about style, it's about a better future for everybody. I know, sounds like some kooky idealistic fantasy but, NO!, this is going to happen!
It kills me to say this, but unfortunately, for so many of the industries hemp could truly revolutionize (garments, food, agriculture, medicine, heating, energy, structural materials), there's a commonality, which is 'big-name players'. These big-name players love the status quo: it consistently nets a profit, and is money in the bank, plain and simple - no risk, just results. The day a pivot to hemp is labelled a cashflow-positive migration in these industries, is the day it becomes prevalent in all of them. I'd say this can probably be altered by certain factors, including intellectual property on processes leading to extraordinary results which can't be replaced by other companies. A company with a patent on a process related to cotton which makes it substantially stronger or softer than other competing cottons is not going to take the selfless route and say "drop everything - we're making hemp products now".
I think a lot of the perceived stagnation in bringing these types of products to market has been putting the impetus on businesses instead of governments. I don't think the onus has ever historically been on businesses to take the moral high ground and sacrifice profit 'for the greater good'... The existence of unions, human rights movements, and workplace safety policies speak to this loud and clear. Maybe it's my inner Canadian socialist speaking, but I'd say that the obligation to have business practices drive society forward belongs in the hands of governments through better incentives for green behaviour, as well as greater allocation of funds towards green initiatives/research. I'm guessing the stigma stemming from hemp's proximity to weed also doesn't help sell this particular product.
I really liked your last statement about how its multiple uses will leave hemp in a rare place that transcends style or cliques. This can be good or bad. On the bad side of things, fads/styles/cliques yield impulse purchases. For businesses, they get to buy in large quantities, taking advantage of economies of scale. Large demand + high margins = easy to sell. There's much more ambiguity about perceived investment opportunities if one's to claim that hemp doesn't fall in this category (from a short-term perspective).
On the alternative side, I look at it from a more philosophical perspective based on how Dieter Rams designed. If you're driven by excellent function and minimalism, anything present on a product or idea ought to be strictly necessary. Anything that is strictly necessary and designed for superb and intuitive functionality does not abide by the rules of a fad or trend: it is timeless, because it is persistently relevant. Hemp as a material possesses that characteristic to make it a timeless one (similar to concrete and steel). Demonstrate the ease and affordability of processing hemp into quality end product, and the industry will flourish. Unfortunately, without a major purchase order or motivator, no business will take this risk on. So, I go back to my call on the government to provide monetary incentive towards hemp production. I'd say governments owe at least that, given this: hardly Canada's finest hours....
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
To my way of thinking, the best solution for the serious situation we are facing in terms of resource depletion is lowering the population and learning to live with less. But in the meantime, if we started growing massive amounts of hemp we would be going a long way toward healing the land and producing far fewer toxic goods. Hemp stabilizes ground, nitrogen fixes the soil, has deep roots which gives it some drought resistance and needs no pesticides and thus is easily grown organically. Combine that with it's many great and varied uses and you've got a crop that will be very lucrative.
It will catch on, of that I have no doubt. The more we talk about it and spread the idea around, the sooner it will happen.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/politics/general_assembly/pearisburg-del-joseph-yost-cheers-passage-of-hemp-bill/article_4ca9fb19-20ab-5dff-9917-942be49790c5.html
http://www.timescolonist.com/business/vancouver-island-farmer-hails-hemp-as-demand-grows-1.2030591
That being said Hemp is a wonderful thing to grow and to use in products.
I am wondering what the big push to NOT farm it is? I read that big business is behind it but why, what really does it stop from being made?
That's fantastic. It's such an incredible plant. Who would have thought it would do well up on Vancouver Island, but there you go! It's hardy, versatile, super useful. I would be thrilled to see helm legalized and grown far and wide. It would solve so many problems!
-Time/space needed to grow.
-Trees deplete soil. Hemp nitrogen fixes soil.
-Toxicity in paper production is huge. Wood pulp paper production releases 220 million pounds of toxic pollution into air and water each year. Hemp paper doesn’t require toxic bleaching chemicals.
-Hemp paper last much longer and doesn't yellow with age.
-Deforestation for paper production is still a huge problem.
- There are better choices for plants used to make paper: sugarcane, bamboo, straws, kenaf, mesta, hemp, abaca, sisal, henequen, jute, ramie, flax and sunhemp. Hemp is ranked first for plants that will grow well all over America temperate climates.
http://www.hemphasis.net/Paper/paper_files/hempvtree.htm
But I am not here to argue…
Let me here some more about hemp. Can I grow it in the US?
At this time, hemp can be grown legally in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia and you can purchase hemp products anywhere in the U.S. In years to come, hemp will likely be legally grown in most if not all states. The usefulness, low toxicity growth and production, the plants restorative properties for soil and particularly the economic benefits of hemp will make it a popular and wide spread crop as it was in the past.
=USA WEED TOUR 2017 !!!!!!
who's with me? first round of honey oiler's on me and there will be plenty...
Good luck to us for eventual full legality!
Cannabis is mainly about medical marijuana and the recreational use of that beautiful exotic herb. Quite a different subject.
in my defense i did look for a cannabis one in AMT but all i could find was yours
and cut it whatever way you want but this plant needs to be un-demonized in every which way
willie would agree. hemp can save the planet. no kidding about that !
I must say, I'm not bored on this board. heehee!
I do believe these should be separate issues, however. A lot of people have issues with cannabis and I understand that. I love the herb but I also know it has its drawbacks. But so does this life which is why I love the herb (if that makes any sense).
But hemp is a different beast. It has nothing to do with medical marijuana or getting high. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to have issues with hemp- whatsoever!
If I had the money to invest and more years to reap the benefits, I would put as many dollars as I could into hemp and someday be fat, happy, and live in a better world.