THE ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANTAGE
- Environmental Benefits
- Advantages of Hemp
- Hemp is best for paper pulp
- Hemp for insulation, building materials
- Hemp bio-degradable plastic
- Hemp bio-mass for energy
- Hemp fabric
- Hemp nutrition
There is an environmental benefit from growing industrial hemp versus other fibre crops.
Cultivation
of industrial hemp does not require pesticides (Bosca and Karus, 1998;
Nova Institute, 1996). The production of other fibre crops, such as flax
or cotton, often use large quantities of pesticides (Bosca and Karus, 1998).
This implies that a reduction in pesticide use will occur in society anytime
that industrial hemp fibre or grain is substituted for flax fibre or seed
in paper, oils, animal feed, animal bedding, and the like. Similarly, it
implies a reduction in pesticide use any time industrial hemp fibre is
substituted for cotton fibre in clothing, paper, or carpets.
From soil reclamation projects through to reducing toxins produced from conventional paper mills, hemp and bio-fuel hemp offer a multitude of solutions for "greening" the planet.
Some examples are:
- Growing hemp plays a major role in helping reduce global warming, ozone depletion, acid rain, depletion of forests and wildlife, marine pollution and toxic wastes.
- Growing and using hemp in industry reduces regional problems including water and air pollution.
- Growing hemp utilises ground water and therefore significantly reduces salinity.
- The deep root can reach superficial ground water and solar pumps can access deeper water for irrigation.
- Hemp does not usually require herbicides and pesticides, whereas cotton uses massive herbicides and pesticides degrading water supplies.
- The hemp plant is vigorous and when grown densely, outgrows weeds.
- Heavy metals introduced to the environment with dust, smoke, sewage and industrial waste can be absorbed by hemp grown for industrial products. In a study conducted by the Institute of Poland, the level of heavy metals such as lead, copper, cadmium and mercury in contaminated soil was lower after harvest than before sowing.
