Here’s a nifty little map that Natural Homes have put together, that displays some of the natural homes around the world. Homes include those made using straw bale, hemp, timber, earth, straw clay, cordwood, as well as solar panel homes.
On the map, each house is represented by an icon (indicating what it has been built from). Click on each icon to learn more about the house:
Hemp is the common name for the cannabis family of plants, although the word is typically used in reference to industrial hemp.
The term industrial hemp refers to cannabis strains cultivated for non-drug usage. Industrial hemp is usually referred to, simply as hemp. Most of the time, when someone talks about hemp, they are referring to industrial hemp.
Hemp is an extremely versatile, natural fiber. It is sometimes referred to as a “super fiber” due to it’s amazing range of benefits and attributes. Hemp is the strongest natural fiber in the world, and it has been cultivated for a wide variety of purposes for thousands of years. In fact, the earliest known woven fabric was made of hemp over 10,000 years ago.
In recent years, hemp has been gaining a reputation as an environmentally friendly alternative to many other fibers. For example, hemp clothing and accessories are becoming popular alternatives to their cotton or polyester counterparts.
Despite hemp’s usefulness, it is often misunderstood. Because hemp is closely related to marijuana, some people assume it can be misused (i.e. for drug use). The fact is that industrial hemp doesn’t contain enough tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to make it a psychoactive drug (such as marijuana).
To say that hemp is environmentally friendly is an understatement. Hemp contains so many environmental benefits, it’s amazing it’s not more popular. Hopefully this will change as the climate change / global warming debate heats up further.
For starters, hemp can be grown in most climates, without pesticides, and uses very little water. Also, hemp products are 100% biodegradable.
Here are some more of hemp’s environmental benefits.
Currently, hemp is allowed to be grown virtually anywhere in the world - except the U.S.. In the U.S. hemp cultivation is now illegal. This is unfortunate given the enormous environmental benefits to be gained from industrial hemp.
Hemp wasn’t always illegal in America though. Here are some interesting facts about hemp laws and usage in the U.S.:
Given the obvious environmental benefits of hemp, and the non-issue regarding it’s association with marijuana, the U.S. hemp laws are apparently in urgent need of review.
As Thomas Jefferson once said “Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country”
…or as George Washington said, “Make the most of the Indian Hemp Seed and sow it everywhere“!
Being such a versatile fiber, there are literally thousands of uses for hemp. Many people claim that there are over 25,000 known uses for hemp!
Without naming all 25,000 uses(!), hemp can be used in a wide range of areas including consumer textiles (eg, clothing, bags), industrial textiles (eg, ropes, nets), food (eg, oils, supplements), body care products (eg, soap, shampoo), and building materials (eg, fiberboard, hempcrete).
For more detail, check out my post on the uses of hemp.
Industrial hemp is gaining a lot of respect around the world for its amazing versatility and environmental benefits. Many companies are turning to hemp in order to make their products more sustainable and eco-friendly in general.
Unfortunately, widespread acceptance of hemp still has a long way to go. Many people are oblivious to the great benefits of hemp. Some (incorrectly) assume that it’s a drug (because of its close association with marijuana). The U.S. government has even made it illegal to grow hemp. This does not make it easy for those of us who are trying to do the right thing!
Hemp cultivation can provide many benefits for the environment. Also, hemp products can provide further environmental benefits when comparing them to products made from other fibers.
Here are some key reasons why hemp should become much more widely used than it currently is.
Here are some of the major environmental benefits of growing hemp:
Naturally, products made from hemp are 100% biodegradable, recyclable, and reusable. Also, the speed at which hemp grows can provide benefits regarding the resource requirements of the end product.
Here are some examples of how hemp products could benefit our environment and our health:
It’s widely known that hemp can be used in so many ways as an eco-friendly alternative to current methods. Given that so many of today’s products are produced from toxic materials, by switching to hemp based products, the benefits for the environment (and ourselves) would be enormous.
Hemp is an extremely versatile plant with enormous environmental benefits. It can be used in a wide variety of applications.
It’s no wonder that companies such as Ford, BMW, Mercedes, The Body Shop, Calvin Klein, and many more are turning to hemp so that they can create more eco-friendly products.
Here are 60 examples of how hemp is being used around the world:
This list is not exhaustive - I’ve heard that there are over 25,000 known uses for hemp. Feel free to name some more!
Hemp is renown for its extreme versatility and eco-friendliness. Given the rising interest in hemp, particularly as an eco-friendly alternative to so many other ingredients, I thought I’d gather together a bit of hemp trivia.
Here are some interesting facts about hemp:
And, isn’t it so ironic that hemp cultivation is now illegal in the U.S. given it’s permanently etched into the history of the U.S.A…..
Organic linen refers to linen that is made from plant fibers as opposed to synthetic means. But more importantly, the plants have been grown without the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers.
The term “linen” is often used in a generic sense to describe a certain textiles such as bedding, table cloths, towels, etc. This is quite a general use of the term and it doesn’t refer to what the term “linen” was originally used for. Linen originally referred to yarn and fabric made from flax fibers (from the flax plant).
These days linen could be made from flax fibers, cotton, hemp, or it could be synthetic. Therefore, the term linen is now a little ambiguous.
If you are a purist, you might say that true linen is made from flax fibers.
Nowadays, there are plenty of products on the market made of “organic linen” or “eco-friendly linen”. While some of these products may be made from flax fibers, many of them are made from other fibers.
It was nice to read about Quiksilver’s new eco-friendly winter outwear clothing today.
On January 29, Quiksilver will launch a whole new line of eco-friendly winter wear. As mentioned in the article, winter wear has traditionally been the least eco-friendly, so it’s great to see a prominent clothing company like Quiksilver getting stuck into the challenge of providing eco-friendly winter wear.
Here are some eco-friendly fabrics that Quiksilver uses in their clothing:
In my post How “Eco Friendly” is your Grocery Bag?, I suggested looking for an eco friendly grocery bag. In particular, I suggested looking for a bag that is made from natural fibers, is large, and can be reused over many years.
In this post, I will look at some of the options when it comes to eco friendly grocery bags.
Eco friendly bags come in a wide range of different materials. Here are some eco friendly bags available on the current market:
These eco friendly bags have varying levels of “eco friendliness”, but are typically regarded as being much better than their traditional plastic bag alternative (with the possible exception of paper bags). Despite paper bags having a more eco friendly image, studies show paper bags are less eco friendly than plastic bags.
While some of the above don’t decompose properly (i.e. polypropylene, paper), others are made from natural fibers and decompose very easily. Biodegradable plastic bags are best suited to composting (as opposed to landfill). Degradable bags on the other hand, are well suited to landfill. They basically self destruct after a given period of time - say 18 months.
Hemp is a perfect choice for an eco friendly grocery bag. Hemp is a natural fiber and is very durable.
In fact, it’s the longest, strongest most durable natural fiber known to mankind. Also, Hemp can be grown in 2 months and does not require herbicides or pesticides.
Although eco friendly grocery bags can be more expensive than other types, you get a lot more use out of them. For example, a hemp grocery bag could cost you say, $8 - $10, but it will last you many years.
You could always take a bunch of banana leaves to the supermarket with you. In fact, that’s what the Ugandan government is asking it’s people to do. In Uganda, banana leaves is the traditional method for carrying goods, and now that plastic bags have been banned there, banana leaves are back.
