Pubdate: Thu, 20 Mar 2014
Source: Taranaki Daily News (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2014 Fairfax New Zealand Limited
Contact:  http://www.thedailynews.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1056
Page: 10
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?330 (Hemp - Outside U.S.)

HEMP HARVEST COULD PAY HEALTHY DIVIDEND

MONDAY'S business feature in the Taranaki Daily News was yet another
reminder (as if we needed it) that innovation and hard work are
integral parts of our psyche.

Taranaki-born Greg Flavall founded Hemp Technologies in the US state
of North Carolina before shifting to the taxfree state of Nevada. The
business now has branches in New Zealand, the United States, Canada
and Romania and employs about 300 staff, from administration and
distribution to chemical scientists.

The core business is the manufacture of hempcrete, which is made much
like concrete, and the only ingredient not from New Zealand is the
hemp itself, which is grown in the Netherlands. It is actually a
mixture of hemp and lime and is easier to work with than concrete
because it is less brittle. It is also a compound that should be dear
to the heart of every greenie - like every plant, hemp absorbs carbon
dioxide as it grows. It stores the carbon and releases the oxygen.
This could be a really important step in the climate change battle.
The hempcrete also acts as an insulator and keeps the damp out.

The technology has been used in Europe for approximately 30 years and
it would make sense for New Zealand builders and architects to look
more closely at making use of this natural-based building block.

Greg Flavall already has crops of hemp, a legal and different variety
of the cannabis plant which is more commonly in the news, in Tikorangi
and Urenui. Hemp is the term for the industrial and commercial use of
the cannabis stalk and seed for things like textiles, foods, papers,
body-care products, detergents, plastics and, of course, building
materials. It is not cultivated to produce buds and contains very low
levels of tetrahydrocannabinoids, the ingredients that give smokers
their high.

As Greg Flavall says, "You'd have to smoke a joint as big as a
telephone pole to even get a headache".

The plus side of growing hemp is obvious: it is the most durable
natural fibre of all and there is no need for chemicals, pesticides or
herbicides. It produces far more fibre per hectare than pine trees and
paper made from hemp trees can be recycled up to seven times, compared
with three times for pine-pulp based papers.

The seed and seed oil are high in protein, vitamins and essential
fatty and amino acids. Those who care about the environment should
consider the fact that hemp would be an ideal source of biomass for
fuel. Hemp ethanol burns very cleanly.

Industrial hemp has been grown for about 10,000 years but in the 1950s
the US decided that it was in the same category as marijuana and
banned its cultivation. This should not surprise anybody  after all,
that was the same period when the US decided anyone who didn't agree
with the authorities must be a communist. Clear thinking was not in
vogue.

As the world faces the increasing risk of climate change and
over-population, it may be that turning to this ancient crop proves to
be a significant move.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt