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Earth’s climate change has been aggravated by human activities and now, more than ever, we need a real push to alter our harmful behaviour towards the environment.
One of the simplest solutions to help stem the flow of human impact, is Hemp – a non-psychoactive strain of the Cannabis family that was once integral with many civilisations across the globe. In fact, the first known human interaction with hemp was over 10 thousand years ago in Asia, and since then it has been used in farming for sustenance, materials, oil, and much more. Hemp was slated as the next ‘billion-dollar crop’ in Popular Mechanics magazine in 1938 and praised for its strong fibres. The article went on to explain that hemp “can be utilized to create more than 25,000 items”.
Consider using Hemp over other products
Firstly, for health reasons. Hemp is nicknamed the ‘Miracle Food’ for good reason. No other single plant source can compare with the nutritional value of hemp seeds – which offer protein, essential fatty acids, amino acids, fibre, and an assortment of different minerals. It is also an alternative to dairy, soy and gluten.
Photo: Erik Fenderson public domain
Secondly, consider Hemp for reasons of environmental harm-reduction because Hemp is an alternative for plastic. In fact, anything that can be made from a petroleum derivative, can be produced from Hemp. Yet Hemp is biodegradable – taking only ninety days to decay!
Also, Hemp is a great alternative to cotton – which uses up to six times more water then Hemp. Clothes produced from Hemp are vegan friendly and outperform cotton. For someone concerned with the environment, bringing Hemp products into their lifestyle is a must. Cotton is often farmed with agrochemicals, such as herbicides or pesticides. Hemp has no need for agrochemicals. For example, a typical Hemp plant has hundreds of terpenes which are organic compounds with anti-fungal, anti-bacterial properties that ward off any predators. Many Hemp products contain these terpenes – such as Hemp Essential Oil, which is a gold standard for essential oils, containing anti-anxiety properties.
Wikimedia Commons: Hemp Spreading
Finally, farming Hemp for paper also reduces damage caused by farming Trees. Trees are chopped down at a rate that is quicker than they can be replenished. Hemp only needs four to six months to grow so it is a sustainable alternative for paper and can meet the planets demand.
What happened to the Hemp industry?
Unfortunately, Hemp was caught up in the prohibition of Marijuana in the 1900s, and the Hemp industry was devastated – right at the time when the environment needed it most.
However, now is an ideal opportunity to look again at hemp. There are too many great uses to ignore. Too many obvious benefits to the planet. We should use this plant again, in the way civilisations did for millennia, and allow this miracle plant to help us achieve a better place to live.
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