I had previously heard that hemp is refined and used for many products such as hemp oil, hemp seed foods, wax, rope, cloth, canvas and paper. However, I just recently learned about its amazing properties and ability to make renewable food, fuel and fiber!
Hemp is a variety of the Cannabis plant, which contains fiber, oil and seeds. Due to its tensile strength, it is commonly mixed with other organic fibers such as flax, cotton, or silk and used for the production of durable clothing items. Furthermore, hemp is also commonly used for nutritional foods due to its natural protein and oil content.
What I find the most exciting about hemp is that it has the potential to help “green up” many industries!
A clear example of a company that is using hemp to become a fully sustainable business is Chateau Maris, a biodynamic and organic French winery. It created a 9,000 square foot net-zero energy wine cellar by using organic hemp and lime bricks. The cellar is energy-efficient as well as biodegradable.
Hemp’s properties insulates the building keeping it warm in the winter, and ventilates it in the summer, therefore keeping the temperature a consistent 54 to 63 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year. This way there is no need to have cooling or heating systems installed, and a manual duct was installed for greater airflow.
The two owners of the wine celery started research five years ago and found that hemp was the best alternative because it is locally grown (low-carbon transport), cheap, doesn’t require irrigation or fertilizers, it creates good soil structure, is very light (two-foot think brick weighs 33 pounds), and when mixed with lime, the hemp is hardened and chemically transformed into limestone carbonate captures that sequesters carbon.
I find this project absolutely fascinating! It is amazing how R&D mixed with innovation can create amazing thing for the environment and for business! Chateau Maris operated through a purely sustainable core! Apart form the hemp bricks, they use LED lighting, capture rainwater, recycle gray water and have future plans to incorporate wind and solar power with the goal of using 100% renewable energy. Their product has been very successful and their sales have been growing exponentially due to the growing demand for organic and sustainable products. Their wine bottles are made of recycled glass and have recycled paper labels. To top it all off, the company donates $1.50 from each bottle they sell to the Jane Goodall Institute, the Rainforest Foundation, or to the International Polar Foundation.
It is entrepreneurs like the owners of the Chateau Maris that truly inspire me and motivate me to help the the corporate world become sustainably driven! But most of all, their innovation, creativity proves that there are so many different alternatives and resources out there to become a better and greener business from the very core!