Red, Green & Blue: Better Living Through Hemp?
Whenever I read an online article about alternative energy and scroll down to the reader comments below, I’m already thinking, "Here come the hemp people." No news or feature story about biofuels or sustainable agriculture can go by without supporters of industrial hemp crawling out of the woodwork to tout their wonder crop. My reaction has generally been to say, "OK, we’ve made our obligatory hemp post. Let’s get on with the real debate now."
Until I actually researched the subject. Hemp — not the munchies-inducing variety, but the kinds with very low amounts of the psychoactive substance THC — really does appear to be all its proponents make it out to be. Hemp fibers can be used to make clothing, furniture and even biodegradable plastic, and to strengthen cement. Hemp seeds can be eaten as is, ground into flour, pressed for oil or made into non-dairy milk and ice cream. The seeds are also rich in protein and the omega-3, -6 and -9 fatty acids that the human body needs but can’t make on its own. And, like so many U.S. Congresspersons and the Iraq War, before the U.S. government was against hemp, it was for it, actively promoting the crop as a source of fiber for cordage during World War II.
Then there’s the biofuel appeal: both hemp seeds and stalks can be converted into biodiesel or alcohol fuels. Better yet, hemp grows fast and produces way more fiber per acre than cotton, flax or even trees. If it weren’t for the ridiculous, costly and ineffective "War on Drugs" that lumps industrial hemp into the same category as Maiu Wowie, we might be able to tap into a sustainable, highly useful crop that’s far superior to the current favorite in Kansas and on Capitol Hill: corn.
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Tags: alternative energy, Biodiesel, biofuels, industrial hemp, natural fibers, Red, Green and Blue, sustainable agriculture
- Uncategorized
October 2nd, 2007 at 2:36 am
Sometimes I despair of our nation ever waking up. How long will we be brainwashed into spending our lives and wealth on war for oil when we already have the alternatives?
My favorite use of hemp is adding hurds to strengthen cob. Hemp and clay bind together to make a sort of ‘claycrete’ that is inexpensive, easy to form and apply and could be made from locally grown hemp and clay dug from the ground around us.
mikeoregon
October 25th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
I can’t believe anyone has yet to mention replacing cotton with hemp! I am a very strong supported for Industrial Hemp, it blows my mind that this plant of 1001 uses has gotten little to no recognition - let alone, respect - for all of its benefits.
-Hemp is one of the strongest and most environmentally sustainable fibers on the planet. Naturally hardy and drought tolerant, hemp grows well without herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers;
Hemp is phyto-remediative
- one of the best plants to absorb and/or trap pollutants to decontaminate soil, ranging from radiation and pesticides to solvents and toxins leaching from landfills
-Since hemp grows quickly, it produces 250% more fiber than cotton and 600% more fiber than flax when grown on the same land. 1 acre of hemp will produce as much as 2-3 acres of cotton.
-Cotton crops in the USA occupy 1% of the country’s farmland but use 50% of all pesticides.
-The bast fibers are commonly used in 100% hemp products, but are also blended with fabrics such as linen, cotton or silk, for apparel and furnishings.
-The decision of the United States Congress to pass the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act was based in part on testimony derived from articles in newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst, who had significant financial interests in the timber industry, which manufactured his newsprint.
-There is a niche market for hemp paper, but the cost of hemp pulp is approximately six times that of wood pulp, mostly due to the small size and outdated equipment of the few hemp processing plants in the Western world. Hemp pulp is processed with hydrogen peroxide, avoiding the sulphuric acid waste problem associated with wood pulping.
-Hemp grown for fibre is planted closely, resulting in tall, slender plants with long fibres. Ideally,it should be harvested before it flowers. This early cropping is done because fibre quality declines if flowering is allowed and, incidentally, this cropping also pre-empts the herb’s maturity as a potential source of drug material. However, in these strains of industrial hemp the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content would have been very low regardless.
-Hemp is grown quite differently from marijuana. Moreover, it is harvested at a different time than marijuana. Finally, cross-pollination between hemp plants and marijuana plants would significantly reduce the potency of the marijuana plant.