Hemp has been around for a long time now. From being the forbidden apple to getting recognized as a vital resource for the society at large, it has come a long way. Moreover, the colourful history of its past and the mistakes we have made a result will only help to guide us and appreciate its true value over the coming years.
The laws of the United Kingdom that date back to the 1500s have laid the foundation for the promotion of hemp through farming. This relationship between the farmers and hemp has resulted in an extensive history of subsidising income for farmers. During the industrial revolution, much of the world’s textiles, clothing, canvas, rope, and paper were made from hemp and until late 1800s hemp was still considered as the primary source for paper.
Here’s everything you need to know about nature’s own benevolence i.e., Hemp:
- Hemp can help meet every one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were born at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. The objective was to produce a set of universal goals that meet the urgent environmental, political and economic challenges facing our world.
- George Washington grew hemp as a profitable crop to produce rope and paper
Throughout his lifetime, George Washington cultivated hemp at Mount Vernon for industrial uses. The fibres from hemp held excellent properties for making rope and sail canvas. In addition, hemp fibres could be spun into thread for clothing or, as indicated in Mount Vernon records, used in repairing the large seine nets Washington used in his fishing operation along the Potomac.
- One acre of hemp can produce four times more paper than one acre of trees
Hemp not only utilizes land more efficiently but also help in absorbing four times the amount of CO2 from the environment in its 90 – 120 day growing cycle.
- There are over 25,000 known uses for hemp
Hemp has around 25,000 known usages. It has the ability to transform into something incredible that can pave way to a revolutionary change while replacing plastics, Styrofoam and concrete in the near future.
- Hemp was successfully used to reduce soil radiation and toxicity in the area surrounding Chernobyl
Scientists and the companies had started to grow industrial hemp around the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Pripyat, Ukraine. Soon after which it was found that hemp plays a significantly major role in reducing soil toxicity. It is proving to be one of the best phyto-remediative plants that the world has ever seen and adheres to the standards of sustainable future.
- Hemp can be used to make strong and breathable building materials
Hemp for use in construction forms a relatively small, but growing, proportion of the output from hemp farming in the UK. Hempcrete is the term used for a hemp–lime composite building material. It forms for a non-load-bearing, sustainable, breathable and insulating material that can be used to form walls, floor slabs, ceilings and roof insulation, in both new build and restoration projects.
Hemp Is the future!
The need for change is now! How we make that change happens defines the fate of our upcoming generations. Bio-safe products need to become a necessity and not a thing of trend. The earth is our life support system, and the only one we have. So, let’s take a step towards preserving and protecting it through the use of hemp.
