Thursday May 6, 2010, 3:02 pm Fuel Planting only 6 percent of the continental United States with biomass crops such as hemp would supply all current domestic demands for oil and gas. Did you know the average American spends 33 of 40 working hours to support their need for energy? It's true; 80 percent of the total monetary living expense for everything we do is ultimately wrapped up in energy costs; from the energy it takes to make the food we eat, to fuel for the cars we drive, to the manufacturing, storage and transportation of the products we buy. And 80 percent of solid and airborne pollution in our environment can be blamed on fossil energy sources. It is estimated that America has already exhausted 80 percent of its fossil fuel reserves. Industrial hemp is the number one biomass producer on earth, meaning an actual contender for an economically competitive, clean burning fuel. Hemp has four times the biomass and cellulose potential and eight times the methanol potential of its closest competing crop - corn. Burning coal and oil are the greatest sources of acid rain; biomass fuels burn clean and contain no sulphur and produce no ash during combustion. The cycle of growing and burning biomass crops keeps the world s carbon dioxide level at perfect equilibrium, which means that we are less likely to experience the global climactic changes (greenhouse effect) brought about by excess carbon dioxide and water vapors after burning fossil fuels.
HEMP as plastic GOOGLE HEMP, GO TO WIKIPIDIA The basic building block of plastics is cellulose taken from petroleum, but toxic petrochemical compositions are not the only way to derive plastics. Plastics can be derived from plant cellulose, and since hemp is the greatest cellulose producer on Earth (hemp hurds can be 85% cellA recent technological advance with biodegradable plastics made from cornstarch has led to a new material based on hemp. Hemp Plastics (Australia) have sourced partners who have been able to produce a new 100% biodegradable material made entirely from hemp and corn. This new material has unique strength and technical qualities which have yet to be seen before, and this new material can be injection or blow-molded into virtually any shape using existing moulds, including cosmetic containers, Frisbee golf discs, etc.ulose), it only makes sense to make other organics, instead of letting our dumps fill up with refuse. The possibilities are endless with hemp plastics and resins, and bio-composites. Virtually any shape and purpose can be fulfilled by bio-composite plastics. Hemp plastics are already on the rise, it is only a matter of time before we will see the need to grow hemp in the United States to meet our demands.
Thursday May 6, 2010, 3:03 pm HEMP AS A FOOD SORCE Hemp seeds contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy human life. The seeds can be eaten raw, ground into a meal, sprouted, made into hemp milk (akin to soy milk), prepared as tea, and used in baking. The fresh leaves can also be eaten in salads. Products range from cereals to frozen waffles, hemp tofu to nut butters. A few companies produce value added hemp seed items that include the seed oils, whole hemp grain (which is sterilized by law), hulled hemp seed (the whole seed without the mineral rich outer shell), hemp flour, hemp cake (a by-product of pressing the seed for oil) and hemp protein powder. Hemp is also used in some organic cereals, for non-dairy milk somewhat similar to soy and nut milks, and for non-dairy hemp "ice cream
Within the UK, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has treated hemp as purely a non-food crop. Seed appears on the UK market as a legal food product, and cultivation licences are available for this purpose. In North America, hemp seed food products are sold, typically in health food stores or through mail order. The USDA estimates that "the market potential for hemp seed as a food ingredient is unknown. However, it probably will remain a small market, like those for sesame and poppy seeds."...... GOOGLE HEMP, GO TO WIKIPIDIA
Thursday May 6, 2010, 3:04 pm 2) Hemp can be used as part of the environmental remediation process to clear impurities out of wastewater, such as sewage effluent, or other areas of land that have been contaminated with toxic chemicals. The Opportunity Currently more hemp is exported to the United States than to any other country. There is something quite amiss with that picture. We are importing an incredibly valued renewable resource that at one time in our nation's history it was mandatory that our farmers cultivate, and that and we relied upon for sustenance. An important step in turning the American economy around will be to support H.R. 1866 the "Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009" introduced by Representative Ron Paul. This Bill seeks "To amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marihuana, and for other purposes." Let's get our American farmers back in the business of hemp, an efficient and economically viable crop. Let's also give businesses the opportunity to expand their Sustainability programs with products using U.S. grown hemp. Can hemp solve the planets social, economic, and environmental woes? I don't know if any one single crop can do that, I do know that hemp is renewable, fast-growing and could allow the U.S. to reduce our dependence on nonrenewable, constrained resources and move us toward sustainable economic development. GOOGLE HEMP, GO TO WIKIPIDIA
Thursday May 6, 2010, 3:05 pm 1) Ever wonder why tree paper is so cheap? It's because we are subsidizing the true costs of production by borrowing from our own future and that of our children: imagine a world without trees and you'll realize the full impact, significance, and costs of cheap paper from trees. Hemp, unlike trees, grows to maturity in 6-8 months. There is no need to cut down 100 year old trees to make paper! Not only can hemp provide us with top-quality archival paper that's beautiful & strong and leaves a light footprint on this fragile planet of ours, it can also single-handedly put a stop to Greenhouse Effect, soil erosion, dependence on fertilizers and toxic chemicals, blue baby syndrome, pollution of the air, water, and soil, and so much more! Hemp can easily replace wood fiber and save forests. Saving natural wildlife habitat as well as producing protection against global warming by absorbing greenhouse gases. Hemps yield is four times what an average forest can yield. Hemp can be grown organically (it must be certified to the USDA/NOP.) It is naturally resistant to most pests, eliminating the need for pesticides. It grows tightly spaced, out-competing any weeds. It also leaves a weed-free field for the following crop. Because of its unique ability to suppress weeds alone, hemp is an excellent rotation crop, especially in sustainable and organic farming systems.
Thursday May 6, 2010, 3:06 pm PRODUCTS WHICH CAN BE MADE WITH OR FROM HEMP medicine, fuel, paper, food, rope, maps, clothes, nets, lace, soap, sails, shoes, explosives, caulking, fiberboard, paint, sealant, methanol, gasoline, fibre for fuel, bricks, charcoal, auto bodies, packing mass, lubricants, oil for lighting, oil for fuel, oil for lights, animal food, furniture, mats, varnish, lotions, ointments, lacquer, salad dressings & best of all plastic... noted .Thanks Cher
