Teri Wallace
Fuel Food Reality CheckOttawa, ON: Here are the facts on recent increases in fuel and food.
FACT Over the past year, oil prices have jumped by nearly 100%.
· In 2007, food prices increased by about 4% overall.
· In 2007, the same year the U.S. produced a record amount of ethanol from corn, the U.S. increased it surplus of corn to more than 1.4 billion bushels. In a record ethanol year, the U.S. actually fed more of the world by increasing its exports of corn by 6%.
· Food marketing costs now account for 80% of the cost of food. Marketing costs are the difference between the farm value and consumer spending for food at grocery stores and restaurants. · Corn accounts for less than 5% of the price a box of corn flakes.
The price of rice is now up 77% since October. Rice is not used is the production of biofuels. Corn for ethanol cannot be grown in rice paddies. · As a whole, fish prices are up. Fuel prices account for approximately 60%-70% of operating costs of fishermen. Fish are not used in the production of biofuels.· An increasing amount of biofuels are produced from nontraditional feedstocks such as waste products from the beverage, food, and forestry industries. In the very near future, biofuels will be produced from agricultural residues such as grain straw, Hemp stalks, sugarcane bagasse, corn stover, municipal solid waste, and energy crops such as switch grass and algae. Reference: Founded in 1994, the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA) is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote the use of renewable fuels for transportation through consumer awareness and government liaison activities.
For 8000 Years, Hemp Was Primarily Man’s Crop…Fuel Food Reality Check. Hemp’s Making A Comeback!
Breaking the stigma! Cannabis and Hemp 101
Do you know what happens when you smoke hemp? Not a whole lot. You may end up with a cough or a headache, but you certainly won’t end up with a high. Surprised? Most people are 
because they mistakenly think hemp is the same thing as marijuana. It’s not; even though they are both members of the plant species cannabis sativa and bear an uncanny resemblance. Actually, the psychoactive properties in marijuana come from the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) found in the flower of the plant.
To break the stigma associated with marijuana, it is important to actually understand the difference between cannabis and hemp 101:
The two are related through the same genus of plant. While industrial-grade hemp is a rather helpful resource in the world, it lacks the stimulating power of the substance known as delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or for short, THC. It is this active chemical of THC that brings about the “high” associated with marijuana.
Hemp contains 1.5% of this substance, while marijuana possesses between 4 % and 20%. In Canada, the legal amount of THC used to create products cannot exceed 0.3%. Overall, the plants are rather close in details, but supply very different functions for many dissimilar reasons, which especially shows through in the physical makeup of the two plants.
Hemp is much stronger than the marijuana variety, meaning it holds the possibility to create a wealth of raw materials. Marijuana is actually quite delicate, eliminating it as a contender regarding serving a purpose to benefit mankind in a manner acceptable by law (with the exception of medicinal uses).
Farming practices also dictate the amount of THC produced by the plant. The unfertilized female species of cannabis sativa L contains the highest amount of THC, thus the male species is removed to prevent pollination, increasing it’s psychoactive properties dramatically.
Hemp Cake: Ideal Mate For Hemp Beer Brewers! Belly Up!
Fact: The hemp seed cake can also be used for all you beer brewers ! Where does Hemp Cake come from? One should know that hemp seeds do not mill into flour, they become butter because of the high oil content. In order to get flour, you need to remove the oils. We mill the byproduct of pressing hemp seed for oil, which we call hemp cake.
Now getting back to hemp loving beer brewers & drinkers… apparently, a well made hemp beer retains an excellent head. With the oils in hemp seed, this often causes poor hemp retention. This can be easily solved by adding hemp seed cake instead. With the significantly lowered levels of oils in the cake, the resulting beer will have much better head retention.
WHO KNEW? Check out the video we found on YouTube!
Hemp’s fatty acids mirrors the primitive diet man evolved on for 2.5 million years. Who Knew!
Hemp’s ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids is about 4:1 which mirrors the primitive diet man evolved on for 2.5 million years. This ratio of fatty acids has been shown to prevent and even reverse Alzheimers disease in animal models and humans (Yehuda et al, Int J Neurosci, vol 3, 141-9, 1996).
The fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is especially beneficial for the elderly who become essential fatty acid deficient as they age. Polyunsaturated fats have been shown to be beneficial for the prevention of heart disease, especially omega 3 fatty acids.
Polyunsaturated fats are good, offering the most double bonds and remain fluid at the lowest temperatures, thereby permitting proper protein (enzyme ) functions necessary for health.
Tests Confirm Hemp Seeds To Be “Gluten-Free”…
As part of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance’s Hemp Foods Characterization Project we are hempy to share the test results, we often get this question is hemp gluten-free?
Gluten is a plant protein found in cereals, particularly in wheat. Wheat flour typically contains some 100,000 mg/kg, or parts per million (ppm) of gluten. Gluten is an allergen and affects people suffering from Celiac Sprue Disease. As for other oil seeds, the protein of hemp seeds does not contain this cereal protein – it is “gluten free”. However, some consumers of hemp food have recently asked for confirmation because a note (see below) on the web site of the Celiac Sprue Association suggested that traces of gluten had been found in hemp flour.
hemp (Industrial) No research on the dietary use of hemp for a celiac diet is on file in the CSA office. Should be gluten-free but sample of hemp flour tested ELISA 15 ppm gliadin [corresponds to 30 ppm of gluten] in 2001.
To confirm the absence of gluten in hemp seed products, two samples of hemp nut and one hemp protein, all produced in Canada, were tested for gluten as part of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance‘s hemp foods characterization project. In all 3 samples, testing by ELISA assay did not find gluten at the limit of detection of 10 milligram per kilogram (parts per million) (AOAC Method 991.19).
The World Health Organization defines food stuffs that do not contain specific cereals (wheat and all Triticum species) as “Gluten-Free” if they contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. These test results confirm that hemp seeds, nuts and protein powder are in fact “gluten free”.
The mentioned report on the Celiac Sprue Associations’ web site of gluten traces found in hemp flour can be attributed to contamination of hemp products during processing on equipment that had previously handled cereals.
Download Official Test Results (PDF file 80K)
Reference: http://www.hempreport.com/archive/2006_10_01_archive.html
Organic vs. Conventional Foods…1940s the Green Revolution arose & marks history!
Organic foods are those that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as pestisides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain GMOs, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.
FACT: For the vast majority of human history, agriculture can be described as “organic”; only during the 20th century was a large supply of new synthetic chemicals introduced to the food supply. The organic farming movement arose in the 1940s in response to the industrialization of agriculture known as the Green Revolution.
Organic food production is a heavily regulated industry, distinct from private gardening.
Processed organic food usually contains only organic ingredients. If non-organic ingredients are present, at least a certain percentage of the food’s total plant and animal ingredients must be organic (95% in the United States, Canada, and Australia) and any non-organically produced ingredients are subject to various agricultural requirements. Foods claiming to be organic must be free of artificial food additives, and are often processed with fewer artificial methods, materials and conditions, such as chemical ripening, food irradiation, and genetically modified ingredients. Pesticides are allowed so long as they are not synthetic.
Organic certification is a certification process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products. In general, any business directly involved in food production can be certified, including seed suppliers, farmers, food processors, retailers and restaurants. Requirements vary from country to country, and generally involve a set of production standards for growing, storage, processing, packaging and shipping that include:
- avoidance of most synthetic chemical inputs (e.g. fertilizer, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives, etc), genetically modified organisms, irradiation, and the use of biosolids;
- use of farmland that has been free from synthetic chemicals for a number of years (often, three or more);
- keeping detailed written production and sales records (audit trail);
- maintaining strict physical separation of organic products from non-certified products;
- undergoing periodic on-site inspections.
In some countries, certification is overseen by the government, and commercial use of the term organic is legally restricted. Certified organic producers are also subject to the same agricultural, food safety and other government regulations that apply to non-certified producers.
We love Wikipedia! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_certification Not this below we found by google images…speaks for itself, a great chart to see the differences!!!
Conscious Consumers Fuel The Local Food Movement…
Consumer concerns combined with increasing preferences for fresher products will also continue to fuel the local food movement and “local brands”. Closer sourcing for products should lead to the possibility of cheaper prices, which corresponds nicely with future expected rising food prices and consumer price consciousness. While this price consciousness among consumers will place pressures on some traditional products, consumers’ acceptance of higher prices for added-value products, such as sustainable or healthy items, will continue to support a green industry.
New technologies and innovations are expected that will cater to consumers’ increasing demand for production and transportation sustainability, food safety and traceability, and knowledge about the food they consume.
Hemp Insulation and Building Materials
Hemp was among the first crops to be cultivated, and historically it ranks among the most widely cultivated annual crops. Today industrial hemp is enjoying a renaissance in many countries. It is increasingly recognized as a valuable, environment-friendly, bio-resource.
Selectively bred to minimize the THC (narcotic) content, industrial hemp is licensed and aided by the EU and grown increasingly for fibre and seed oil production. But Hemp has up to 50,000 product applications across a surprisingly wide range of industry sectors, automotive, textiles, paper/pulp, bio-plastics, for example.
The Hemp plant grows well in Ireland as trials by Hemp Ireland and Teagasc have demonstrated. In a broad range of climates and soil types hemp yields a rich abundance (circa. 8-12 tonnes per annum), of quality natural raw materials: fibre, shive, hurd, and seed (rich in edible proteins and essential oils).
Hemp Environment Benefits Hemp benefits the environment in several ways.The growing crop absorbs the greenhouse gas CO2, ‘sequestering’ it and reducing atmospheric pollution responsible for climate change. Hemp also provides a low-energy and ‘low-carbon’ alternative to products requiring more energy intensive processing and production.
Hemp requires much less chemical fertilizer, and no pesticides or herbicides to grow. Thus hemp supports biodiversity and a transition to organic farming methods. The deep roots of the plant draw nutrients upward, and irrigate the soil as they decompose following the harvest. The leaves also make a rich compost. In rotation with bio-fuel, grain or other crops, hemp can enhance yields.
Finally, hemp supports local and regional sustainable development, employment creation and eco-innovation.
Hemp has for centuries been used in construction and is today making a comeback, thanks largely to the work of ecological building pioneers in Ireland and overseas. In France a traditional hemp building method of combining hemp with a lime binder, to make solid walls and floors, has been revived to build hundreds of houses in recent years. Products such as ‘ Hempcrete’ and ‘Hemcrete’ are used in conjunction with timber frame in multi-storey buildings.
Industrial buildings, such as Adnam’s (UK) new brewery depot, showcase the opportunity for mainstream developers to boost energy-efficiency and dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Natural building materials are also non-toxic and safer to work with. As we spend 90% of our lives indoors, indoor air quality is important. Hemp insulation helps create a warm comfortable interior environment. In Germany, the UK and elsewhere hemp building and insulation products have won numerous awards and commendations from technical and health experts.
In comparison with other insulation materials hemp has several performance advantages:
- Hemp is a durable long-lasting renewable material.
- Hemp insulation has a low thermal conductivity, or U-value, of 0.040 KW/m.
- Hemp absorbs and distributes moisture allowing the wall to breathe and thereby reducing humidity and condensation indoors.
In many tests, and when installed, the energy efficiency of hemp building and insulating materials surpasses expectations. Thermal conductivity is just one aspect of energy performance. Convection and radiation also matter. A material’s capacity to hold heat, deal with moisture and extreme cold helps determines real energy efficiency and your heating fuel bills.
All-round hemp is an excellent insulation material with a thermal performance that easily matches conventional synthetic insulation. The real advantages of hemp lie in the fact that it absorbs carbon from our atmosphere and requires far less energy in its production. It takes 1.84 tonnes of CO2 to make each tonne of dry hemp.
The more hemp we use the less CO2 in the atmosphere!
Source: www.hempcompany.ie
Supporting Hemp Through Art…
I can’t say that I have ever seen a more beautiful poster incorporating all the uses of hemp with the visual beauty of the planet.
Hemp for LEED Construction Initiatives…
Hemp can be made into any building material, including fiberboard, roofing, flooring, wallboard, caulking, cement, paint, paneling, particleboard, plaster, plywood, reinforced concrete, insulation, insulation panels, spray-on insulation, concrete pipes, bricks, and biodegradable plastic composites which are tougher than steel.
Foundations can be made out of hemp hurds; a processed based on ancient technology adapted for modern use. To do this, set up a plywood frame (preferably hemp plywood), then fill with a mixture of hemp hurd (wood chip-like substance) and combine with lime, sand, plaster, some cement, and enough water to dampen, and let the mixture set for a day. Then take the frame down, but let the mixture continue to harden for about a week. The lime and the hurds create a chemical reaction which binds the mixture together. Amazingly these structures continue to get harder and stronger everyday until they fossilize, as is testament by a 6th century hemp-reinforced bridge in France. After this happens, the hemp foundation walls are as strong as stone.
Hemp foundation walls are 7 times stronger than concrete foundations, half as light, and three times as elastic, which means that these building will bend, but not break. Because of their superior strength and flexibility, hemp foundations are resistant to stress-induced cracking and breaking. Even earthquakes and other natural disaster cannot break or crack these structures.
Hemp foundation homes and buildings are self-insulated, including thermal and sound insulation, resistant to rotting, rodents, insects, and they are fire proof, waterproof, weather resistant, and the walls breath so the rooms do not get stuffy. Hemp homes stay warm in the winter, and cool in the summer.
If hemp were legal in the United States, it would be the cheapest source of raw material for concrete-like foundations. Plus hemp hurds can be processed in existing wood mills without major changes to the equipment. Hemp-foundation homes are ecologically appropriate because they are inexpensive, and can be prepared on site using only a cement mixer, and the material would be cheap and abundant.
Foundation floors can be made in much the same way as the foundation. Hemp resists seepage, and so hemp cement is applicable for pouring onto a soil base to make a foundation floor. The floor insulation hardens into a solid mass which will not shift under pressure.
Did you know that a hemp fiberboard is lighter, twice as strong, and three times as elastic as wood fiberboard, plus it has sound proofing and pressure isolative characteristics absent from wood fiberboard. These composites are also resistant to pests, moisture, and funguses.
The process involves chipping the hemp stalk, bonding it together with resins and glues, and clamping it down into molds under high pressure until it hardens.
Concrete pipes can be made out of hemp fiber which cost 1/3 that of polypropylene. These pipes have greater flexibility, greater elasticity, and are resistant to cracking.
Stones can also be made out of hemp by wetting the stalk’s cellulose, and forming it into a hard black rock, which can be cut, drilled, cast, carved, or formed into any shape.
Hemp building material could allow us to replace the need for wood, bricks, and fiberglass insulation.
Germany and France are using hemp for construction material, replacing drywall and plywood. Using hemp is economically smart and ecologically appropriate, plus the homes built with hemp are as hard as stone and are not subject to natural disaster.
