A New Alternative Use For Hemp: Building Homes!
By NunoXEI • Aug 25th, 2009 • Category: Blog
In a world concerned with its carbon footprint and ever-striving for new ways to reduce environmental impact, hemp is one of those products that comes up time and again with new alternatives. This time around it’s “Hemcrete”–a new concrete-like substance developed by U.K.-based Lhoist Group, Tradical® Hemcrete® made from hemp, lime and water.
Here’s a new building material that is not just carbon neutral, but is actually carbon negative. What makes it carbon negative? There is more CO2 locked-up in the process of growing and harvesting of the hemp than is released in the production of the lime binder.
Hemcrete® is 100% recyclable, is seven times stronger than concrete, weighs half as much, and is less prone to cracking. It’s also waterproof, fireproof, insulates well, and does not rot. Demolished Hemcrete® walls can actually be used as fertilizer.
Hemcrete® has been available in the UK for years but it’ll take a while before it hits North America since it’s currently illegal to grow the species of hemp used in the mixture (although I’m not sure if it’s illegal in Canada… hmmm). If the market in Europe becomes profitable though, it’s likely that lawmakers might re-access their own laws to consider this alternative building material as well.
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NunoXEI is Co-Founder of TheGreenRocket.com and self proclaimed internet-surfing-guru. You can find his personal blog at NunoXEI.com, the home of his podcast, The Lowdown, his comic-related properties and his webcomic, Republic Domain.
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We at Organic Living TV with the Hippy Gourmet, a national PBS and syndicated television series in our 10th season salute you!
Hemp is the path to cure our planet’s ills, clean our environment, feed and cloth the hungry, provide textiles and yes wonderful building materials such as “Hempcrete” – great name by the way!
You can check out our popular cooking, travel and lifestyle TV series (that features Hemp) at:
http://www.hippygourmet.com
Peace, Love and Hemp!