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Hemp Hotel

Dec 3, 2008 News Leave a comment

You’ve probably heard of ice hotels, but what about a hotel made of hemp. Well, we’re not quite there, but the Hemp Hotel in Amsterdam surely makes an affort. As MetroNews.ca reports:

Hemp Hotel – As the name suggests, hemp is the theme of the décor. There are five rooms all decorated with THC-free goods. The curtains, the bedding, the soap, the shampoo, even the breakfast are all made from hemp. Their Hemple Temple Night Bar serves up hemp ice cream, seeds and a dozen kinds of hemp beer. Only in Amsterdam!

So yeah, the idea is kind of cool, but it is in Amsterdam, which is a tourist’s marijuana haven. To that extent, you have to take the Hemp Hotel for what it is: a tourist gimmick.

In actuality, consierable advances in hemp technology are being made, specifically with hempcrete. In the UK, there has even been a house made of hemp, and not just decorated with it. And even when it comes to interior decor, you don’t have to go to Amsterdam to find hemp bedding.

It’s kind of disappointing how often one of hemp’s many uses is publicized, it’s alongside the plant’s psychoactive counterpart, marijuana. After all, the best chance that hemp has to be quickly entered into the mainstream so that we can all start enjoying its ecological and health benefits more easily is to completely disassociate it from it cousin narcotic.

Hemp Ideas for the Holidays

Dec 3, 2008 Products Leave a comment

Ah, there nothing like hemp for the holidays. Well, there’s more the holiday hemp than just wrapping paper and gift cards, and Yoga Journal has the scoop. In a recent article about how stitched and knitted fabrics are connected to yoga, author Victoria Everman offers up a heads up on some hemp-based ones:

Stock up on all-natural supplies. Lanaknits Designs Hemp for Knitting has 100 percent hemp and hemp-blend yarns in assorted colors, lanaknits.com; [...] South West Trading Company offers the widest variety of sustainable yarns: organic cotton, milk fiber, soy silk, bamboo, corn, and hemp, soysilk.com.

The overall gist of the article is finding products and merchants that reflect the values of yoga enthusiasts, but it provides quite a few good leads for hemp enthusiasts as well. Check out Stitched Together @ Yoga Journal to find out where you can find places to purchase sustainable products, including those made form hemp.

Possible Redemption for Hemp Merchant

Nov 30, 2008 Laws, News Leave a comment

About one month ago, we reported on Randy Caine, the owner a store called Hempyz in Langley, British Columbia, who was forced to dump his hemp stock because of local zoning laws that restricted the sale of hemp products to a particular shopping mall. Caine’s shop was in the town’s core, not at the mall.

Well, it now seems that Caine might be able to jump back into the hemp business. It seems like the town of Langley has agreed to review the bylaw for reconsideration. As the Vancouver Sun reports:

Langley City’s bylaw restricting the sale of hemp products could soon be gone.

City council has asked staff to review the bylaw, in light of an autumn spat between the municipality and Hempyz, a small store that sold a few health and beauty products containing hemp, along with gifts and novelty items emblazoned with marijuana leaves.
[...]
The motion was a late addition to the council agenda on Monday, [Nov. 24], and was approved.

It calls for staff, “in light of issues that have arisen in the city with regard to the sale of products that contain legal hemp,” to review the C1 Downtown Commercial Zoning.
[...]
Staff will review the zoning and provide a report to the incoming council.

Apparently, a little education goes a long way. The story also covers how one city council member has really changed her mind about hemp. In her mind, hemp and marijuana had always been the same thing… until she looked into if for herself, that is.

Seeing a politician adopt an about-face on the issue of hemp once they looked into themselves give me hope that the North Dakota farmers have a decent chance of winning their lawsuit against the DEA so that they can finally grow hemp, and that the Australian lobbyists will succeed in legalizing hemp consumption in their country. Of course, this hope is based on the actions and statement of a small-town local politician, so we’ll have to wait and see. There’s no telling how stubborn federal government power brokers can be in either the US or Australia.

Hough Fights for Hemp Foods

Nov 30, 2008 Laws, News Leave a comment

Now that Australian the province of New South Whales has legalized hemp farming, the CEO of Australian hemp lobby and research company Hemp Resources, Kim Hough, is wasting no time in pushing the envelope. You see, even though it’s now legal to grow hemp for fiber, it is still illegal for Australians to consume hemp-food products. Mr. Hough, however, is riding the wave of Australian media buzz around the hemp farming law to push to have the ban on hemp-foods lifted. As TheWest.co.au reports:

Hemp Resources chief executive Kim Hough has written to his local MP and Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith calling for an exemption from the Australian food standard which makes hemp foods illegal for human ingestion.
[...]
Mr Hough said it was shortsightedness not to allow a valid industry that could be earning thousands of dollars every year. He said hemp protein foods and oils were highly nutritious because they were rich in proteins and the essential fatty acids omega 3 and omega 6.
[...]
Mr Hough said the ban on the use of hemp in food products could also be contrary to Australia’s obligations as members of the World Trade Organisation. [...]

Unlike marijuana, hemp has no psychoactive properties. Consuming hemp-based foods, then, offers you a number of health benefits, such as an unparalleled balance of omega fatty acids (get some hemp recipes here).

Given the way things have progressed in Australia, it seem that Mr. Hough is probably on the right track. After all, we’re not talking about just some hippy-health-nut, here. Under Mr. Hough’s leadership, Hemp Resources recently conducted two successful hemp trials: one in China, and another in Australia. In other words, Mr. Hough is a competent businessman who is, for the most part, taking up a completely reasonable cause.

Hemp for the Holidays

Nov 30, 2008 Products 1 Comment

We often touch upon how much potential hemp has to help with the environment:

But none of this really helps the average Joe and Jane help the environment by using hemp. Well, The LA Examiner has a piece on how you can use hemp to do just that by incorporating it into your holiday routine:

During the holidays, about 2.6 billion cards are sent annually. In fact, the paper industry is the third largest generator of greenhouse gases. Practically speaking, an Evite is the most sustainable invitation practice, inviting guests online and forgoing a hard copy invitation altogether. However I do agree that there’s something so old school elegant about sending and receiving lovely invitations and RSVP’s, so lets take the next best step and look for companies that can help us create “green invitations.”  Green invitations will be made from recycled paper, organic cotton paper, kenaf or hemp paper. Kenaf and hemp papers are good because they are both sustainable and easy to grow without pesticides. For recycled and tree-free papers online, check out www.vickeroy.com or www.crane.com.

One of the biggest challenges facing mainstream hemp use is the lack of volume. Hemp is just not yet processed in large enough of quantities to make hemp-based consumer products price-competitive with their more conventional counterparts. Consequently, it can be challenging to find ways to support hemp and its industries.

By considering what hemp products are already in use and adapting them to everyday uses, however, you can do just that. Since hemp paper products are relatively available on the market, these are a great place to start. And when used in a holiday setting, it can give your gift that extra, special touch.

Scientists Wins Award for Hemp Work

Nov 24, 2008 News, Press Release Leave a comment

Last week, we reported how Naturally Advanced Technologies (with Hanes) conclude the bulk commercial hemp trials they had jointly undertaken earlier in the year. The result was that NAT’s Crailar hemp fiber was successfully used on cotton machinery, making it a viable substitute to cotton (one of the most destructive crops there is).

Well it now seems that one of the researchers involved in the project was awarded Clean Technology Innovation Award from the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI). Here’s the press release with all the details: Read More..

Farmer Sues South African Police

Nov 24, 2008 Farming, News Leave a comment

A farmer in South Africa is suing the police after his farm was raided despite him having a research permit to cultivate industrial strains. Although charges against him were all eventually dropped, his legal fees forced him to liquidate everything, and he his hoping to recoup those expenses. As IOL.co.za reports:

A cannabis farmer who grew the weed to cultivate strands for possible industrial use, is claiming R620 000 in damages from the police after he was “unlawfully arrested” for possession of the plant.

The farmer had claimed that he in fact had a permit to be in possession of 1,2 tons of seeds.

A second claim for R2-million in damages against the police is expected to be served before the Pretoria High Court at a later stage by Russell de Beer after he claimed he had lost his crops and his business had collapsed because of the conduct by the police.

[...]

De Beer, who lived in Switzerland before, came to South Africa to see whether it was possible to cultivate cannabis for industrial use.

He said he approached the Agricultural Research Council and was told that it was viable as they too were conducting research in this field. De Beer bought a farm where cannabis was planted in 2002 by the council. He said the plan was to cultivate the strands.

[...]

The ultimate idea was to patent his product, but his dream fell through when police raided his farm in 2004.

The cops showed him a search warrant, which claimed that he was dealing in cannabis, that he was selling it and using.

[...]

He said he was arrested and had to spend a night in a police cell, before he was granted R8 000 bail the next day at the Brits magistrate’s court. His subsequent court case dragged on for nearly a year, during which time it was postponed several times. All charges were eventually withdrawn against him.

This story underscores the importance of further spreading awareness of the difference between industrial hemp and its psychoactive counterpart, marijuana. Without knowing the details of the story, it also seems as though the police were completely unaware that research permits were being issues at all. After all, if it was common knowledge, it would be very unlikely that they would have failed to inquire into the validity of the farmer’s claim.

Then again, there may be political intricacies, here, that I am unaware of. I know very little of South African sociology, but from what I understand, there are considerable problems with corruption. Perhaps the police simply didn’t appreciate a foreigner farming on their land.

Australian Farmers Encouraged to Grow Hemp

Nov 24, 2008 Farming, News 1 Comment

New legislation in Australia recently legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp in the province of New South Wales. Farmers in NSW are now being encouraged to take up the crop. Although it still remain illegal for humans to consume hemp product in Australia, it seems that dogs are exempt. That’s right, farmers are being to encouraged to grow hemp that will be used in everything from bio-diesel to dog food. And it looks like farmers are keen on playing ball. As ABC.net.au reports:

New South Wales farmers are being encouraged to start growing industrial hemp.

The Government recently passed legislation allowing the plant to be grown for use in products ranging from bio-fuel to dog food.

The Primary Industries Minister, Ian Macdonald, says measures have been put in place to prevent hemp crops being used to camouflage marijuana plantations.

[...]

“It’ll require farmers who wish to grow industrial hemp to register to get a licence.

[...]

“Already we’ve had over 200 farmers express interest in growing hemp across the state,” he said.

Well, I guess that dogs really are man’s best friend down under — to the point of receiving preferential treatment. I wonder if hemp-based food products will also be made available to dingos… it just might keep them well-nourished enough to keep them away from all the babies.

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