Hemp for a Healthy Planet

[tabatha]

http://zoutpiel.com/2007/hemp-for-a-healthy-planet/

[ensho]

1. yes, the sooner the better - what does Obama think about hemp!

anybody know?

[nc4bo]

2. Yes We Should! nt

[Ghost in the Machine]

3. A little history on hemp -

1500
The incredible diversity and usefulness of the hemp plant accelerated its spread to almost every continent and culture. Because of its strength and durability as a fabric and cord, it was used almost exclusively in the sails and rigging on the ships that left Europe to discover the world. King Phillip of Spain (1564) even ordered that hemp be cultivated throughout his empire, and many wars were fought over the supply of it.

Wherever the explorers landed, hemp was one of the first seeds they propagated as it grew so quickly and could meet so many of their requirements for clothing, food and fuel. Hemp soon spread from Europe to North and South America in the 1500’s and at a later stage Australia where many people survived a famine in the 1800’s by eating hemp seed as protein and hemp leaves as roughage.

As with everywhere else that hemp was cultivated, it fast became the crop of choice in the new colonies in North America, many of them making hemp cultivation mandatory for all farmers. To promote it further, hemp was even accepted as legal tender and taxes could be paid with hemp.

Hemp had become so important that George Washington urged farmers to sow the hemp seed everywhere, growing it himself, and Thomas Jefferson called hemp a “necessity”. The American Declaration of Independence was drafted on hemp paper, as well as the first pair of Levi jeans being constructed out of robust hemp fabric.

http://www.hemporium.com/history.html

[Jane Austin]

4. Richard Greene talked to Sen. Tester about hemp at a meeting last

week while in Washington.

Tester didn't know much about it, but his assistant did, and I'm pretty sure Greene (host of Clout on Air America Radio) will continue to get information to Tester.

Greene said Tester sounded interested and his assistant, who like Tester is an organic gardener, was very enthusiastic, so I imagine he's already hearing about it.

[Blaze Diem]

5. Ask the farmers of N Dakota about fighting for the right to grow ind. hemp.

I believe they got the approval of the State but couldn't get past the DEA.
Sad thing is, just a few miles to the north, across the Canadian border, farmers were making the world a better place by growing hemp. Govt approved.


In the end they could argue till the moo cows come home as to the value of ind hemp, but the BIG hurdle is still the big guns of the DEA.
Good luck with convincing them.
Sucks.

--------------
"STONER LOGIC" (the lame mentality tells what these farmers are up against)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=171x840
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This is about the last I heard on this decision, don't know if ND farmers ever got any further.

[Jane Austin]

10. "Ask the farmers of N Dakota about fighting for the right to grow ind. hemp."

That's what he was telling him about.

He was surprised Tester didn't know all about that, Monatana being next door and all.

[bvar22]

12. The DEA just "front" for BIG BUSINESS....

..those who PROFIT from "illegal" hemp:

*The Liquor Industry

*The Tobacco Industry

*The Pharmaceutical Industry

*The "Private" Prison Industry

...there are other BIG BUSINESS interests who work to keep hemp illegal.


I would love to put in a couple of acres of hemp.... :hippie:

[IDemo]

6. An ancestor of mine used over 50 tons of it in one of his boat building projects

USS Constitution

[Ghost in the Machine]

7. Hemp Biodiesel vs Diesel: Compiled from: Greenfuels and NBB

Hemp Biodiesel vs Diesel: Compiled from: Greenfuels and NBB

• Overall ozone (smog) forming potential of biodiesel is less than diesel fuel. The ozone forming potential of the speciated hydrocarbon emissions was nearly 50 percent less than that measured for diesel fuel.1

• Sulfur emissions are essentially eliminated with pure biodiesel. The exhaust emissions of sulfur oxides and sulfates (major components of acid rain) from biodiesel were essentially eliminated compared to sulfur oxides and sulfates from diesel.1

• Criteria pollutants are reduced with biodiesel use. The use of biodiesel in an unmodified Cummins N14 diesel engine resulted in substantial reductions of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter. Emissions of nitrogen oxides were slightly increased.1

• Carbon Monoxide: The exhaust emissions of carbon monoxide (a poisonous gas) from biodiesel were 50 percent lower than carbon monoxide emissions from diesel.1

• Particulate Matter: Breathing particulate has been shown to be a human health hazard. The exhaust emissions of particulate matter from biodiesel were 30 percent lower than overall particulate matter emissions from diesel.1

• Hydrocarbons: The exhaust emissions of total hydrocarbons (a contributing factor in the localized formation of smog and ozone) were 93 percent lower for biodiesel than diesel fuel.1

• Nitrogen Oxides: NOx emissions from biodiesel increase or decrease depending on the engine family and testing procedures. NOx emissions (a contributing factor in the localized formation of smog and ozone) from pure (100%) biodiesel increased in this test by 13 percent. However, biodiesel's lack of sulfur allows the use of NOx control technologies that cannot be used with conventional diesel. So, biodiesel NOx emissions can be effectively managed and efficiently eliminated as a concern of the fuel's use.1

• Biodiesel reduces the health risks associated with petroleum diesel. Biodiesel emissions showed decreased levels of PAH and nitrited PAH compounds which have been identified as potential cancer causing compounds. In the recent testing, PAH compounds were reduced by 75 to 85 percent, with the exception of benzo(a)anthracene, which was reduced by roughly 50 percent. Targeted nPAH compounds were also reduced dramatically with biodiesel fuel, with 2-nitrofluorene and 1-nitropyrene reduced by 90 percent, and the rest of the nPAH compounds reduced to only trace levels.

http://www.hempcar.org/petvshemp.shtml

[tabatha]

8. Iherb.com has hemp products

http://www.iherb.com/Search.aspx?kw=hemp

[Ghost in the Machine]

9. Industrial Hemp Uses

Industry:

Almost any product that can be made from wood, cotton, or petroleum (including plastics) can be made from hemp. There are more than 25,000 known uses for hemp.

For thousands of years virtually all good paints and varnishes were made with hemp seed oil and/or linseed oil.

Hemp stems are 80% hurds (pulp by-product after the hemp fiber is removed from the plant). Hemp hurds are 77% cellulose - a primary chemical feed stock (industrial raw material) used in the production of chemicals, plastics, and fibers. Depending on which U.S. agricultural report is correct, an acre of full grown hemp plants can sustainably provide from four to 50 or even 100 times the cellulose found in cornstalks, kenaf, or sugar cane (the planet's next highest annual cellulose plants).

One acre of hemp produces as much cellulose fiber pulp as 4.1 acres of trees, making hemp a perfect material to replace trees for pressed board, particle board, and concrete construction molds.

Heating and compressing plant fibers can create practical, inexpensive, fire-resistant construction materials with excellent thermal and sound-insulating qualities. These strong plant fiber construction materials could replace dry wall and wood paneling. William B. Conde of Conde's Redwood Lumber, Inc. near Eugene, Oregon, in conjunction with Washington State University (1991-1993), has demonstrated the superior strength, flexibility, and economy of hemp composite building materials compared to wood fiber, even as beams.

Isochanvre, a rediscovered French building material made from hemp hurds mixed with lime petrifies into a mineral state and lasts for many centuries. Archeologists have found a bridge in the south of France from the Merovingian period (500-751 A.D.), built with this process.

Hemp has been used throughout history for carpet backing. Hemp fiber has potential in the manufacture of strong, rot resistant carpeting - eliminating the poisonous fumes of burning synthetic materials in a house or commercial fire, along with allergic reactions associated with new synthetic carpeting.

Plastic plumbing pipe (PVC pipes) can be manufactured using renewable hemp cellulose as the chemical feed stocks, replacing non-renewable coal or petroleum based chemical feed stocks.

In 1941 Henry Ford built a plastic car made of fiber from hemp and wheat straw. Hemp plastic is biodegradable, synthetic plastic is not.

http://www.hempcar.org/hempfacts.shtml

[tabatha]

11. Anything to get rid of plastic.

Thanks for all the info.

[Ghost in the Machine]

13. Glad to help out...

and to keep this thread kicked...

:kick:

[dysfunctional press]

15. there would still be plenty of plastics...

but they'd be made from hemp oil rather than dinosaur juice.

[OneBlueSky]

14. Presidential Commission on the Commercialization of Hemp and . . .

the Decriminalization of Marijuana . . .

now that's something I could get behind . . .

[Karenina]

16. Oh pooh! Too late to rec...

:kick: