There has been a growing resurgence of hemp in the modern
world as of late. Hemp is beginning to enter all different kinds of industry!
Industrial hemp in countries that already grow hemp (i.e. Canada) has begun to
use hemp in all aspects of modern life. They have begun using hemp as a
renewable building material and building insulator. Another big part of hemp is
the fibers; hemp is being used to create clothing (check
out this great kickstarter) and rope. The fibers can also be used to create
hemp paper. Hemp is a super plant that is slowly working its way up to becoming
another staple of industry.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
America Legalized Hemp!
The resurgence of hemp has finally begun to spread to the
United States, passed in February, the 2014 farming act finally legalized the
cultivation of industrial hemp. This might not seem like much, considering that
industrial hemp is still illegal in most states (due to the old federal law)
but many have added pro-hemp bills to their 2014 ballots already. This is the first major step to the
cultivation and implementation of hemp into modern industry!
Hemp is 4x more efficient than wood!
Hemp paper is a superior to its wood counterpart for one
main reason; it's vastly more sustainable. Hemp can be grown in some of the
harshest conditions and still thrive.
Hemp will not only thrive but it vastly out grows its wood competitor.
Planting 10,000 acres of hemp is the equivalent to growing 41,000 acres of
trees. This is important on 2 levels: first hemp grows 4x as much material in a
6
month grow cycle and second, the forests are no longer being cut down but
being given a chance to recover and regrow.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Hemp inc.
This is a great interview with Bruce Perlowin, the CEO of
Hemp Inc. about the growth of his company and the expectations of the hemp and
medical marijuana industry of the next few decades.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Hemp v. Wood
Hemp paper is one of the simplest things that we could do to
help reduce the environmental impact that our growing world will have. Hemp paper is a environmentally friendly
option compared to the wood pulp alternative.
To grow the raw materials for paper, wood needs an average
of 20-80yrs to grow to maturity. This long grow cycle makes wood ( as a source
of paper) unsustainable. We currently cut down close to a billion trees per
year and our forests simply can’t survive. Hemp has an incredibly rapid grow
cycle of 4-6months and can be cultivated during the off season of corn and
cotton and other agricultural staples.
Hemp in Colorado
This fantastic news clip from Colorado shows the beginning
of the large hemp industry. Colorado has always been on the front line battling
for not only the use of medical marijuana but also for the legalization of the
drug as well. While the battle over marijuana grips the headlines, Colorado’s
legislators have been hard at work creating a bill that legalized the cultivation
of hemp for industrial purposes. This small bill has opened up a huge new
industry in America and will create millions of jobs in the future.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Hemp in America
Hemp, believe it or not, has had a rich history here in America.
The Native Americans had long known of the wondrous hemp plant and used it for
clothing and rope. This continued with the new European settlers, the colonists
of Jamestown where REQUIRED to grow hemp. The use of hemp continued and its
industrial applications flourished. The word canvas is actually derived from
cannabis. Eventually hemp grew to become such a popular plant that in 1938 popular mechanics called it the next
BILLION dollar crop. This all ended sadly in 1937 when reefer madness began to
set in and the marijuana tax was created. This new tax effectively ended hemp
and cannabis cultivation and by 1968 the united states government outlawed
it completely.
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