How Hemp Could Impact Our Environment And Economy

Hemp is not a new plant discovered before the drug wars began. This plant has been linked to the beginning of civilization.

Its first recorded use dates back to 2800 BCE in China. People quickly caught on to the fact that this plant was very useful from its seed to its fiber. The use of hemp grew around the globe until people became dependent upon it for its versatility of usage.

For thousands of years, this plant was used for many products and traded or sold globally. Being heavily relied upon, hemp became mandatory to grow hemp in many places, including the United States.

Over the years, people found that hemp fibers were not only very strong but also very versatile in use. The fibers were used for making clothing, paper, rope, sails, netting, and more.

Hemp fiber was relied upon for its durability in harsh weather conditions, and salty sea and ocean air. It was one of the only fibers that could withstand so much natural abuse.

The seeds also were used for more than just planting more hemp. Hemp oil is made from the seeds. This can be used in so many products from food to health and beauty products, even fuel and other industrial oils can be made.

And then there is the oil that comes from the plant’s flowers and leaves, this oil was used medicinally and is recorded as being a wonderous plant ages ago.

The possibilities are seemingly endless as to what we can do with hemp. There are well over 25,000 products that can be made from the plant.

That being said it brings me to the point of my article.

How can hemp help our environment and our economy?

Hemp and The Environment

You may be asking yourself, how on earth is Hemp, of all things, going to help our environment?

Well, let’s see, with our current situation with trees being clear-cut for paper and building materials, we will run out of trees within the next 50 years. This is catastrophic!

Trees provide the very oxygen we breathe every second of every day. They also provide shade for us, and shelter for countless animals and insects that are vital to our survival. Without trees, we will perish very shortly thereafter.

We can replace the use of trees with using hemp in every single application in which trees are used. Hemp grows at much faster rates than trees, therefore it is more economically viable to cultivate hemp versus cutting every single tree down.

Hemp fibers make a higher quality paper and produce about 4 times more product per acre, than wood. And, hemp grows at a much faster rate than trees do. Industrial hemp can also be used for making very strong construction materials.

Then there are the oil companies drilling precious irreplaceable fossil fuels from our Earth’s core, this has got to have some major repercussions to pay for.

These companies not only produce toxic gases, but they are also the leaders in non-biodegradable plastics that are smothering our planet every day.

We can make fuel and plastic from the hemp plant. Biodiesel, Methanol, and Ethanol can all be made from Hemp.

Yes, you read that correctly, fuels of all sorts. Hemp truly is amazing all the way around.

Using this plant for fuel for our vehicles and warming our homes is much safer all the way around. It is safer to store and transport as well. The exhaust from hemp fuel is cleaner and better for the environment than our current petroleum exhaust is.

And then there is the cotton industry poisoning our environment by being the biggest user of pesticides and herbicides in the United States. This is killing off honey bees at an alarming rate, and the Lord knows how much damage these poisons are doing to other insects and small animals that are vital to our ecosystem.

Of course, there are other growers using pesticides and herbicides, but cotton, I make an example of, because of the high amounts of poison used, 84 million pounds per year to be exact.

Why Hemp Is The Better Alternative

Industrial hemp can be grown without pesticides or herbicides. This is because not many pests are drawn to hemp as its fibers are too tough to bite through to get to the tender yummy pulp.

No weed killers need to be used for industrial hemp as it is planted so close together. Thus, not leaving room or nutrients for competitive weeds to grow.

Hemp can make all the products I have mentioned above and more.

We can grow a plant that can replace the fossil fuel industry, lumber industry, and the cotton industry, all very successfully even.

We don’t need to rob the planet of all of its natural resources when we can grow our own.

We should be using these products, they are better for our environment, before during, and post-use.

Hemp produces more oxygen and cleans more dirty air than most plants. Growing this on a large scale in the US, and the world would be highly beneficial, and then, in turn, using it for all the above products and more!

In the long run, industrial hemp is very renewable and very useful, and a multitude of biodegradable products can be made from it.

In our current state, we still have to do our part by cutting consumption and upgrading our recycling habits.

This planet can be saved if people just wake up and listen.

Hemp’s Possible Effects On The Economy

This is very simple to explain. Suppose farmers are allowed to grow industrial hemp and medicinal hemp. This creates jobs for harvesting and processing hemp for sale, and even more jobs are created for the manufacturing and selling of the products we demand such as paper, fuel, oil, food, clothing, textiles, and much more.

We would have more American-made products in our stores and be supporting the American economy very successfully!

Our founding fathers were very correct when they said that hemp is the backbone of our country. They all grew it and utilized it to its fullest potential at the time, and it offered a lot back then. So much that it was mandatory to grow and you could pay your taxes with it as well.

Somehow over time with fear of competition and bad politics, hemp became illegal. With its comeback, we need to take full advantage of what this plant has to offer. Hemp has the potential to be a game-changer for sure.

How Can We Help As Consumers?

We can stop this with the simple act of shopping. How can we stop this by shopping you ask?

Well, think about your next purchases, are you buying hemp-made paper? Do you wear hemp clothing, are you buying fuel that is made from petroleum?

What is your water bottle made of? The house you’re constructing; will it consist of wood harvested from the forest. Or will you choose a more sustainable route and use hemp-based products?

Do you recycle, or try to cut your consumption of disposable products to lessen the load of the landfills? There are so many ways that our spending choices directly affect our environment. Reusable shopping bags are a great way to help rid the planet of unwanted/unneeded unrecyclable plastics. Using a dry-erase calendar versus buying paper calendars is another way to cut waste. Every effort helps!

We as consumers must make a choice and soon! We have a lot to do for our environment and our time is running out, but our options and opportunities to change are not.

I would love to hear your comments and opinions on this topic. Please feel free to leave a comment below.

As always, thank you for reading my article.

Stacie Fortson

Go Green With Hemp

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