5 Reasons Hemp is An Amazing Sustainable Resource

When you think of cannabis, you probably think of pot and smoking it. It’s true that there are plenty of health benefits to marijuana. But we’re going to talk about another part of the plant, and that is the hemp.

Did you know that hemp its an amazing plant? Not only can it grow just about anywhere, but it’s one of the most sustainable sources on the planet. If you are looking for a way that you can help the planet, read on toe find out what hemp can do for you and for the earth.

It Doesn’t Need Much Water

Around 70% of the freshwater supply in the world is used in agriculture. As the population expands, the needs for freshwater and food will grow too.

That’s why it’s important to look for crops that don’t need as much water. Hemp’s thought to be one of the non-water intensive crops, which means it’s much more sustainable.

It’s a Sustainable Source of Fuel

The environment is impacted greatly by oil extraction and emissions from fossil fuels. But hemp’s a wonderful and practical biodiesel source, which is made just from plant material.

A study showed that the issue with most types of biofuel is that it will take up a lot of valuable land used for farming food. However, since hemp is able to grow in lots of climates and poor soil, it won’t take away from other spaces that can be used for other kinds of crops.

The other benefit is that it’s derived from its seeds instead of its plant stock. Usually, seeds get disregarded. That means when they are reappropriated to make fuel, it’s another way that the versatility of hemp makes it very eco-friendly.

More Durable, Cheaper Building Materials

It’s predicted that the worldwide demand or cement and concrete are going to increase by 7% per year. Cement, concrete’s main ingredient, is the world’s second most used resource. It’s also the second biggest reason for CO2 emissions (8%).

Hempcrete, which is a kind of concrete created from hemp, is used already in other countries, such as France. It’s a lot less brittle when compared with concrete and it can be used both for insulation and regulating moisture.

Even though it can’t be used for foundation building, it’s great for walls that are non-load bearing and wonderful for insulation. Here are some of the benefits of hempcrete.

• It’s non-toxic
• It’s mold resistant and has high humidity control and vapor permeability
• Offers carbon sequestration, which means it stores carbon dioxide instead of releasing it
• Pest resistant
• Fire resistant

Helps the Soil

Through something called phytoremediation, producing hemp contaminates the soil. Cannabis plants will absorb contaminants in the soil through deep, fast-growing roots. The roots transform toxins into something that’s harmless or store them. The plants draw out the heavy metals from the soil, and hemp even has been used for decontaminating the soil in Chernobyl.

A Cotton Alternative

Cotton’s the world’s most popular crop that isn’t consumed. But cotton farming diminishes soil quality and requires pesticides that pollute freshwater. It accounts for 11% of the world’s pesticides and 24% of the world’s insecticides.

Along with requiring insecticides and pesticides to thrive, cotton also needs a lot of water. It requires over 713 gallons of water to create just a single cotton t-shirt. That’s around the same amount that a person drinks in 2.5 years. Even though it’s not as common as cotton, it’s often used for making fabric. But it’s different from cotton because it only uses ¼ of the water that cotton uses.

Hemp doesn’t take a smaller amount of water, but it also needs less amount of room to grow each pound of hemp. It also can grow in many different climates. This means it can grow in places where other crops can’t grow, meaning it’s much better for the environment.  Here are some other benefits of using hemp instead of cotton.

• Holds its shape
• Is mold-resistant
• Naturally resistant to UV light
• Is water resistant, so they retain color and dye better
• Breaths in warmer weather & stays warm during cooler weather

As you can see, hemp is a wonderful resource that can help the environment in a big way. Please look around our site and see other interesting facts and tidbits about hemp and what it can do for you and for your body. You may just be surprised at what this amazing plant can do.