8 hemp facts you need to know!
Posted at 11:00 • 28th Dec • Bernardo Carreira• Hemp
Hemp is as old as agriculture itself, both appeared approximately 10.000 years ago and since then it has been part of the history of mankind.
1- Hemp can be used to make biodegradable plastic
Biodegradable plastics decompose over time. This means they do not persist and clog up the environment. Hemp can be turned into biodegradable plastics through the removal of the fibers from the stem as one of the plants’ leftover parts from this process is cellulose. This cellulose can be then used to make a growing number of bio-composites, and is a strong option for sustainable packaging. Since hemp grows very easily, it is a sustainable means of deriving plastics that won't harm the environment .
2- Hemp was used to clean up soils off radiation in Chernobyl
Hemp reduces the effects of destructive radioactive materials ☢️ so it has been used in Chernobyl to clear the soils from radio isotopes and other impurities caused by the nuclear disaster.
3- It absorbs 4x more CO2 than trees
Hemp can clean the atmosphere and protect the environment and even reversing the damage done to it.
The plant consumes four times as much CO2 as trees do, and its short 12- to 14-week growing cycle makes it a highly sustainable crop that effectively fights global warming.
4- Hemp is super strong
Hemp is so strong Henry Ford built a car with it. The car wouldn't dent even when hit by an axe.
"It will take a lot more pressure to crack or break composite materials made of hemp fibers than the amount of pressure needed to crack or break things made of steel.
This is true across different varieties of steel and varying diameters of hemp fibers. The weakest hemp fiber needs more pressure to crack and break than the weakest variety of steel. The strongest variety of steel needs less pressure to crack and break than the strongest variety of hemp fiber.
Hemp has the capacity to endure double the weight of steel before it cracks and breaks. That is how much stronger hemp is than steel." Quote from @hempfoundation website
5- It grows organically
Hemp requires no pesticides to grow and it is a natural weed deterrent, as a matter of fact, that's the main reason why it cannabis is commonly referred to as "weed", due to it's capacity to grow fast in almost every soil.
It's so soil friendly that it can grow 14 years consecutively on the same land.
6- George Washington was a big hemp farmer
Hemp used to be an important crop for the early American economy. Prior to its prohibition, some of the most powerful U.S. politicians were known for growing it. George Washington was no exception. He did not only produce hemp, but also urged everyone around him to grow and sow it as well.
7- Prevents deforestation
Hemp can be used as source material for wood and paper; one acre of hemp can produce as much paper a year as four acres of trees.
Why use up the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the hemp fields?
Henry Ford
8- Hempcrete is fireproof
The hempcrete mixture is made out of the fibrous hemp hurd taken from the wood-like interior part of the plant. When combined with line and water, it results in a material which is completely fire-resistant. Meaning, building with hempcrete can prevent a house or a building from burning.
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