Our world is in the middle of an environmental crisis it does not have to be in. We have become entirely too dependent on wood and fossil fuels, and are starting to really see the effect it on our world. Today, we are using and burning more fossil fuel than ever before. We are also cutting down forests at alarming rates. Both of these actions are harming our environment. Fortunately, there is a solution to our paper and fuel consummation problems that is really quite simple and can be summarized in one word: hemp.
Our Country And Our World Are Overly Dependent On Wood
Our world today is currently extremely dependent on wood for many different items. Our dependency on wood results in a huge increase in the CO2 into our air and atmosphere. At this point in time, deforestation has led to the release of at least 120 billion tons of CO2 into the environment. This CO2 is harming our atmosphere. It is also contributing to global warming and causing rising temperature around the world. We use this wood to create many different products, some which may surprise you. 93% of all of the paper products we produce are made from wood. We also use wood products to build our homes and our furniture. We even use wood products in our food supply.
Forests Are Being Harmed Due To Our Dependency On Wood
Due to our dependency on wood, over 70% of the forests in the United States have been destroyed since 1916. Although forests still cover about 30% of the Earth’s land areas, we lose forests the size of Panama each and every year. We lose about 116 square miles of rain forest every day due to deforestation. At the rate we are currently destroying forests due to our dependency on wood, all our forests could be gone within the next hundred years, which really is a blink of an eye.
We Can Save Our Forests By Using Hemp Instead Of Wood
The great news is that we can save our forests and stop adding unnecessary CO2 to the environment by using hemp instead of wood. Hemp can be used to create all of the same products we depend on wood for, including paper, cardboard and particle board. Hemp can even be used to build houses and construct furniture. We do not have to stop using these products, we just have to change how we make them.
Farmers Can Grow Hemp
All of these products can be made from hemp. Industrial hemp can be grown as a rotating crop by farmers. Farmers can grow and harvest up to four hemp crops per year. It only takes eight to twelve weeks for hemp crops to mature, allowing farmers to grow multiple crops per year. Different strands of industrial hemp can be grown in climates all around the world. You can grow hemp in the desert. You can also grow hemp in an area that is more lush with vegetation and resources.
Hemp Creates Stronger Products
Hemp is a great substitute for paper because it produces such strong fibers. Hemp fibers are actually stronger than paper fibers, and hemp paper lasts longer and can be reused and recycled more times than paper can. In fact, the cellulose, edible proteins, fibers and oils from a hemp harvest can be used for over 50,000 product applications. It can be used to create hemp paper as well as hemp toilet paper. Making all of our paper products out of hemp will save millions of trees and thousands of acres of forest every year, as well as reduce our CO2 impact on the environment.
It is superior to conventional paper in the respect that it does not need to be bleached as much, wood paper is not white to start off with so it is necessary to bleach it to achieve a whit color where as hemp paper does not require as much/any bleaching. This causes normal paper to be slightly toxic!
Some basic hemp paper facts are pretty impressive. Hemp paper and resources can be recycled up to 10 times, whereas paper made from wood fibers can only be recycled about three to four times. According to a United States Department of Agriculture report, an acre of hemp can produce the same amount of paper that it takes four acres of forest to produce. Add to the fact that you can regrow the same acre of hemp three to four per year, a single acre of hemp can save between twelve to sixteen acres of forest in one year.
Hemp Can Help Cut Our Dependency On Fossil Fuels Too
Hemp cannot only solve our paper problems, it can also solve our fossil fuel problems. Hemp can be used to create gasoline. The idea of electric cars are great, but they have never really taken off and would involve the creation of a new infrastructure. Using the infrastructure that we already have in place, we can use hemp instead of fossil fuel to fuel our cars. In fact, hemp can even be used to create cars. Back in 1941, the Ford motor company actually produced a prototype vehicle that was made from 70% cellulose hemp fibers. Hemp can be used to make and fuel our cars.
Hemp Is The Solution We Need
We no longer have to be dependent on wood and fossil fuels. We no longer have to cut down our precious forests in order to make paper products. All the products we make from wood fibers can be made instead from hemp fibers instead. Hemp can be grown as a rotating crop by farmers. It can be grown in the desert or on ordinary farm plots all around the world. Outside of being able to make organic hemp rolling papers, and other paper products, hemp can be used for other applications as well. It can be used to make cars as well as the fuel we need to drive them. Hemp can be used to create over 50,000 different products. Hemp can save our forests from deforestation and reduce our dependency on fossil fuel. Hemp is the solutions to all of our consumption problems.
Ksenia owns her own dermatology clinic in London and is a nutritionist consultant. Ksenia is also a regular contributor to popular media outlets. In her spare time, she enjoys horse riding, clay pigeon shooting, rummaging in vintage stores and countryside walks.
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