H is for Hemp
Forget the hippie association; This plant produces more paper per acre than trees do (and can be recycled more times) and is being used to create everything from bedspreads to T-shirts. Hemp seed oil is biodiesel and is three times more productive than any other seed oil crop, and hemp seed oil will run any diesel engine today with no modification.
Hemp should not be confused with Cannabis or Marijuana. Hemp is the male version of Marijuana but has very different uses and has virtually no attractive qualities to the marijuana smoking world. Here are several uses for Hemp:
1. Food
2. Building Materials
3. Pet food and bedding
4. Cosmetics and lotions
5. Paper- Paper made from hemp is both economical and good for the environment. Because fewer trees are used, using hemp for paper helps protect forests and wildlife. Hemp requires less bleaching, which is a source of water pollution. In addition, hemp can be recycled several times more than traditional paper.
6. Fuel - produces more ethanol than corn per acre
7. Oil - products made of hemp are also nontoxic and can be disposed of without harm to the environment.
8. Clothing and textiles
9. Plastic
Source: Associated Press, Link.
3 comments:
This is really interesting. I thought hemp and marijuana were the same thing. I had no idea it had so many uses. I wonder why it isn't more widely used, at least for something like paper. Maybe there aren't the resources yet to mass grow and harvest it? I don't know. Thanks for sharing that info, though.
I think one of the main reasons is it is still quite expensive and not grown on a large scale. My friend just informed me that hemp is actually the male version of marijuana but it is not used the way marijuana is. I think it would require us to plant hemp in fields before it would be cost effective... maybe someday soon!
I use to use a lot of hemp in my "rope" craft, Macrame. George Washington also had the largest "hemp" crop in the US.
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