You know how I like to go on and on about what a fabulous material hemp is and how with a foresight we could use it to shore up our environment and economy? Well I found two articles and two videos to stress my point. So, here I go again.
Kentucky: Hemp Grown In Commonwealth Used As Insulation In Lexington Housing Project
First grown in Kentucky in 1775, hemp was prolific peaking in production at 40,000 tons in 1850. Then growing hemp was bad because people freaked out about reefer madness and a great industry was lost to us. Well, it’s baaaack, because in 2014, under the Federal Farm Bill, lawmakers allowed hemp to be grown in Kentucky for research purposes. The usefulness of hemp is once again being tapped in Lexington, Kentucky, as builders experiment with it as insulation. Maybe this could be an alternative for all the coal jobs going away.
Washington: Historic Industrial Hemp Crop Planted In Moses Lake
In June, the first legal hemp crop in 90 years was planted by Washington Hemp Industries Association and sponsored by HempLogic USA and Hemp Ace International. Seven more organizations are clamoring for permits to grow the crop. Seems that maybe folks are starting to catch on to this hemp thing, no?
Build a house with hemp?
In this video the narrator tells you how a product called hempcrete or hemcrete—depends who you ask—is mold resistant, rot resistant, fire resistant, insect resistant and carbon negative (meaning it absorbs carbon dioxide). Pretty neat, huh? Watch and enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4kKxY7KNyw&feature=youtu.be
Building with hemp
This video explains why using hemp in building materials not only helps to make buildings energy efficient, but how it consumes very little fossil fuel to produce making it one of the more sustainable building products. This video is a bit longer but worth watching.