Planting only 6 percent of the continental United States with biomass crops such as hemp would supply all current domestic demands for oil and gas.
Did you know the average American spends 33 of 40 working hours to supporting their need for energy? It's true; 80 percent of the total monetary living expense for everything we do is ultimately wrapped up in energy costs; from the energy it takes to make the food we eat, to fuel for the cars we drive, to the manufacturing, storage and transportation of the products we buy. And 80 percent of solid and airborne pollution in our environment can be blamed on fossil energy sources. It is estimated that America has already exhausted 80 percent of its fossil fuel reserves. Isn’t this a recipe for disaster?
Industrial hemp is the number one biomass producer on earth, meaning an actual contender for an economically competitive, clean burning fuel. Hemp has four times the biomass and cellulose potential and eight times the methanol potential of its closest competing crop - corn. Burning coal and oil are the greatest sources of acid rain; biomass fuels burn clean and contain no sulphur and produce no ash during combustion. The cycle of growing and burning biomass crops keeps the world’s carbon dioxide level at perfect equilibrium, which means that we are less likely to experience the global climactic changes (greenhouse effect) brought about by excess carbon dioxide and water vapors after burning fossil fuels. Think of all the economic opportunities that could be created by producing clean energy instead of endangering our health and safety with the last remains of an unsustainable and dirty source.
Textiles
The first Levis blue jeans were fashioned from ship sail canvas made of 100 percent hemp. The canvas was imported from Nim France and thus "de Nim" or "denim."
From the strongest rope to the finest lace, hemp is the earth’s most versatile fiber and is responsible for thousands of products on the market today. Hemp is used in apparel from socks and shoes to jackets and dresses; in accessories from purses and backpacks to home furnishings like curtains and tablecloths. You can make carpets and rope out of the thicker, stronger fiber. The finest hemp fiber is delicate enough to be woven together with silk. Hemp is nature’s longest fiber, which means longer garment life as opposed to other plants’ shorter fibers. Hemp is naturally resistant to mold and UV light. And hemp becomes softer with every wash as the fibers relax.
Hemp is extremely efficient from an environmental perspective as a bonus to its superior quality. Hemp suppresses weeds and leaves the soil rich in nitrogen deposits, increasing yields on rotational crops such as soybeans and corn. Using virtually no pesticides, hemp produces 250% more fiber than cotton. By contrast, cotton uses more water and more pesticides than any other commercial crop, leaving the soil depleted. In fact, half of all agricultural chemicals in the U.S. are used in conjunction with cotton growing. That means half the chemical runoff that is polluting our rivers and streams comes from cotton growing. The cotton plant has been genetically engineered to the point where it is no longer a natural fiber, but rather a plant that is designed to stand up to the strains of chemical pesticides sprayed on it. Think about that the next time you buy 100% cotton.
Paper
The Gutenberg bible- the first book made on a printing press- was printed on hemp paper. Almost 600 years later, the pages are still in good condition. The original drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were also printed on hemp.
The U.S. Government, in association with this country’s logging and paper interests, has built nearly half a million miles of logging roads in federally owned forests- more than 10 times the length of the Federal Interstate Highway System! Then, it sells the forest products to the timber and paper industry for less than it costs the Government to build the roads and administer the program. Logging roads are a major cause of mudslides and soil erosion, both of which ruin the spawning beds of Pacific salmon and other threatened species. American taxpayers are funding the decimation of our national forests only to read about it on newsprint made from those same trees. Meanwhile, the planet is being permanently robbed of precious old growth trees which provide critical oxygen and clean air levels necessary for maintaining the survival of the human race.
Hemp is the world’s best paper making material from a quality, environmental and sustainability standpoint. One acre of hemp provides the same amount of pulping material grown in four acres of trees. Hemp paper resists decomposition and does not yellow like tree-derived paper. Hemp’s long outer fibers create superior quality paper for books and magazines. Hemp’s short core fibers make superior newspaper, tissue paper and packaging materials. Hemp paper processing mills do not require chlorine or other harsh chemicals that can end up in rivers, streams or the local water supply. Best of all, hemp fiber is the strongest natural fiber in the world, which means it can be recycled several times more than paper made from wood or other alternative fibers.
