What material can be used to make over 25,000 products,
including clothing, cordage, fuel, plastic, jewelry, paper, building material,
food, cosmetic products, and weed deterrent?
I’ll give
you a hint; it’s a plant. It can be grown in many climates, requires little to
no pesticides, has a short growing season and a fast turnout, is drought
resistant, is resistant to UV rays, and has minimal impact on the soil.
Sounds
too good to be true, right?
Well, it's real. The plant is called hemp, and despite its many uses and soft impact on
the environment, it has a bad reputation because of its close relation to
marijuana. Hemp does have THC (the chemical that causes the high) in it, but at
significantly smaller levels compared to marijuana. It is cultivated to have
very low THC levels; to receive a high, a person would have to smoke ten to
twelve hemp cigarettes in an extremely small amount of time, which would be
very difficult to withstand. Despite this, it is still illegal to grow it in
the United States, and therefore hemp must be imported, which is unfortunate
because this increases the cost of hemp and the environmental impact from
transporting it. Notably, hemp has the ability to replace many current
industries, such as cotton, fossil fuels, and tree fibers, which is important
to keep in mind when asking “why isn’t hemp more popular?”
Picture courtesy of: http://www.belowthelion.co.za/cape-town-gives-approval-for-hemp-farming/
Hemp is
the strongest, most durable natural soft fiber on earth. It is warmer, more
absorbent, stronger, and more durable than cotton. Unlike cotton, which employs
50% of the world’s pesticides, hemp requires virtually no pesticides to grow.
Hemp paper can be recycled seven to eight times, as compared to three times for
paper made of wood pulp. Until the late 1800’s, 75%–90% of all paper was made
of hemp. An acre of hemp can yield between three and eight tons of dry fiber,
which is four times as much as the average yield of a forest. Two tablespoons of hemp seeds provide eleven
grams of protein, and is packed with omega-3 fats, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc,
and iron, making them extremely nutritional. Today is Meatless Monday; maybe
you should consider having a healthy meal that includes hemp seeds!
Furthermore,
hemp can be used as fuel. It is capable of providing for all of our gas, oil,
and coal energy needs in the form of biomass fuel. Biomass fuels are a clean
alternative to fossil fuels, adding no net gain of carbon dioxide to the
atmosphere. Rudolph Diesel, inventor of the diesel engine, originally designed
his engine to use hemp oil.
Because
hemp and marijuana plants look similar, there is concern that hemp fields will
be used as hiding places for marijuana growth. However, this concern is
scientifically and economically unfounded. To properly develop the leaves,
marijuana plants must be grown at a greater distance from each other, while
hemp growth, which focuses on the stem, calls for the plants to be grown in
close proximity. Also, if a marijuana plant and a hemp plant were to mix, the
result will always be a low THC marijuana plant, not a high THC hemp plant. This
genetic outcome would actually deter pot-growers from growing near hemp fields.
Do you
think hemp farming should be legalized in the United States? Sign this petition
via Moveon.org.
Your
dollars can also make a significant impact on the demand for hemp. Support the
hemp industry by buying hemp products, and prove that the plant could provide
an economical benefit for the United States.
To find
some hemp products online, check out these websites:
http://www.hempshop.us/
(This site includes food, cosmetic, and baby products)
Also, here’s my local hemp store: http://www.ithacahemp.com/index.php/
Also, America’s first hemp house has
recently been built! Read about it here.
Sources:
http://www.naihc.org/hemp_information/hemp_facts.html
Revealing October's Animal of the Month!
October’s Animal of the Month is the manatee, an endangered
Florida native. Daniela Ouro, a friend and college peer, requested that the
manatee be featured on the blog. Thank you Daniela! If there is an endangered
animal you feel passionately about, don’t hesitate to email me at viridorari@yahoo.com and request it to
be an Animal of the Month.
Picture courtesy of: http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-manatee.html
Manatees
are large gray aquatic mammals, often referred to as “sea cows,” with a
paddle-shaped tail and two front flippers. Their closest relatives are
elephants! An average adult weighs between 800 and 1,200 pounds. They are
migratory animals; in the winter they live mostly in Florida, but in summer
they can be found as far north as Massachusetts and as far west as Texas.
In 2011, a
study reported that the minimum population of manatees was 4,834. While they
have no natural predators, they die of natural causes and most significantly,
human-related causes. Human caused deaths often involve collisions with boats
propellers, being crushed or drowned in canal locks, swallowing fishing hooks
and other trash, and entanglement in crab-trap lines. Loss of habitat may be
their most serious threat. Fortunately, manatees have protections under the
Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and
the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978. It illegal to harass, hunt, capture,
or kill any marine mammal, including manatees. Violations of these laws can
result in monetary fines and/or imprisonment. The state of Florida has
implemented lower boat speed limits and harsher enforcement of those limits to
help reduce boat collisions and protect manatees.
Manatees
are notorious for being gentle, curious, and peaceful creatures, which makes
them a well-loved animal and their conservation status all the more
unfortunate. The manatee has been Florida’s official state marine mammal since
1975.
Picture courtesy of: http://www.sott.net/article/220687-Cold-Spell-Endangers-Floridas-Manatees
Some
organizations that work to conserve manatees include Save the Manatee Club,
Manatee Conservation Trust, Dolphin ResearchCenter,
and Sirenian International, Inc.
During
September, I raised $1.95 for Panthera to support tiger conservation, just by
using Goodsearch.com as my search engine instead of Google. This month, I will
be supporting Save the Manatee Club using Goodsearch. Signing up is quick and
free, and you can convert your online searches into easy money for an
organization you care about.
Throughout
the month of October, I will keep you updated on information about manatees and
the organizations that support them! I hope you will consider volunteering or
donating to the cause, which can be as simple as conducting your online
searches on Goodsearch.com.
Sources:
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