Created by: brent on 2000-02-09 12:47:05
Last modified by: brent on 2000-02-09 12:52:39
Summary: Hemp cloth has better strength and softness than cotton,
without the huge range of environmental problems associated
with it.
Author's statement:
Cotton production has had devistating effects on the
environment. Because of the shallow root systems of cotton
plants, the topsoil of most of the "cotton-belt" has eroded
enormously. Because of the hemp plants's deep root system,
topsoil is held in place and actually builds strength from
year to year. Before hemp prohibition, farmers used to leave
fields fallow for a year and plant hemp to repair degraded
soil, improving it for other crops.
Cotton production requires harmful pesticides which
pollute ground water, damage surrounding plant species and
nearby animal life. Hemp requires little pesticide use
because it is the stalks not the flower that is harvested.
Hemp as a textile, is remarkably durable - much more
than any other fiber - and becomes progressively softer as it
wears.
The only other draw back to hemp clothing is its high
cost. While it is a great deal cheaper to produce, it is not
yet produced legally in the United States, it must be
imported with very high import taxes, there are also laws,
and trade barriers that make importing hemp difficult and
more expensive. These laws and trade barriers need to be
lifted. Hemp farming would revitalize the family farm,
rebuild our topsoil and revolutionize other markets such as:
paper, plastics, biomass energy, medicine, food protien,
building materials, the liesure industry (smoking) and clean
renewable fuel. Purchasing any hemp product fuels the
industry and furthers the possibility of legal production.
Buying hemp clothing saves our environmental health,
revolutionizes our wardrobe with soft, durable and hip
clothing, while it revolutionizes our world.
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