HEMP FOR ECOLOGY Compiled by the Business Alliance for Commerce in Hemp (BACH) Provided by


Skeptic Tank!

HEMP FOR ECOLOGY Compiled by the Business Alliance for Commerce in Hemp (BACH) Provided by Access Unlimited, PO Box 1900, Frazier Park, CA 93225 Hemp For Ecology - Hemp is a soil building plant that is excellent in crop rotation and, unlike cotton and corn, does not require heavy fertilization or pesticide use. In fact, an organic pesticide spray is derived from the plant. With its many commercial uses, such as manufacture of paper and building supplies, Hemp could reduce deforestation by 50% or more worldwide. It could replace a significant amount of plastics with cultivated cellulose, organic pulp and fiber. It could replace about half of t t petroleum we use as gasoline with clean-burning methanol fuel, and cut dependence on coal and nuclear powered electricity production through biomass pyrolysis. Its strong roots control erosion, and it has an important role in reforestation and weed eradication programs. Help restore ecological balance to America. Hemp Saves Forests - Over a 20 year period, one acre of hemp will produce as much paper as 4.1 acres of forest. But America's "cash crop of tomorrow" is held hostage by protectionist laws that have led to the destruction of 70% of our forests since 1937. Additionally, paper made from hemp lasts many times longer than that made from wood and uses only 10-20% of the dangerous chemicals needed to make paper from wood. And Hemp can be made into fiber board or particle board, replacing wood for construction or commercial fabrication. Hemp Saves Oil - Methane, methanol, alcohol and fuel oil made from Hemp could replace petroleum based fuel and plastics, thus saving America's oil reserves, reducing the trade deficit and protecting the environment. Hemp could replace almost all oil, without any offshore drilling or oil spills. A Hemp spill would not harm the ecology, requires no cleanup and would actually enrich the soil. Fuel or cooking oil can also be made from Hemp seed, which is 30% oil by volume. So long, OPEC and oil shortages! Hemp Instead of Plastic - The pulp and fiber of the Hemp plant offer a completely biodegradable alternative to plastic for many uses or can be made i nto regular or "biodegradable" plastic. Hemp paper bags are stronger and have more endurance than wood pulp paper, and can be reinforced with Hemp fiber for folding and tensile strength comparable to plastic bags, yet are completely biodegradable. Hemp can also be polymerized to make anything that is made of plastic, without using any oil. But this alternative is kept off the market. Help restore free enterprise to America. Hemp For CLEANER AIR - When biomass fuel burns, it produces CO2 (the cause of the Greenhouse Effect), the same as fossil fuel; but during the growth cycle of the plant, photosynthesis removes as much CO2 from the air as burning it adds, so Hemp actually cleans the atmosphere. Equally important, it does not contain sulfur, the major cause of acid rain. Hemp For Soil - The strong roots of the hemp plant are an important factor in building healthy soil. They anchor and invigorate the soil to control erosion and mud slides. Hemp is a hearty plant that squeezes out weeds and pests, without the heavy fertilization that corn, cotton, tobacco and other crops need. Hemp is resistant to many insects, reducing the need for chemical pesticides. Although illegal, cannabis is already the largest cash crop in several states, including California ($3 billion/year), and Hemp could save the family farm in America. But special interest groups have kept it out of the reach of our patriotic and hard working farmers. Hemp For Fuel - Hemp hurds are 77% cellulose and its per- acre output of biomass fuel is about 10 times more than corn, the next best source of the fuel. We could replace virtually all nuclear energy and fossil fuel by using hemp biomass that has been processed with a pyrolitic converter to make charcoal to replace coal, methanol and even gasoline to replace oil- based gasoline, methane gas to replace natural gas and any of these can be burned to generate electricity. President Bush called methanol the "Home Grown Energy," but current regulations prohibit the use of Hemp in the U.S. Help make America energy-independent. You can do something about it. For info: $1 + SASE to: Business Alliance for Commerce in Hemp (BACH), P.O. Box 71093, L.A. CA 90071-0093.


E-Mail Fredric L. Rice / The Skeptic Tank