Now for something completely different: after my recent posts about California legalizing marijuana to fix their budget crunch, not to mention all the headlines lately about green-manufacturing, I stumbled on this article about a new hemp-based substitute for concrete, called fittingly Hemcrete.

As a building material, Hemcrete is apparently “waterproof, fireproof, insulates well, does not rot [when used above ground] and is completely recyclable.” And dig this: it’s not just carbon-neutral, it’s carbon-NEGATIVE, since it sucks up more CO2 in growing and producing the hemp than it takes in the actual block production.

Hemcrete is manufactured by a private, U.K.-based company Lhoist Group and has been in use in British construction for years. Makes you wonder what other green-tech wonders could swoop in and present investing opportunities, as the push for green technologies and related U.S.-based manufacturing grows?

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EXCELLENT article. And just what can WE do to get this kind of technology up and running in the U.S SOON?
A hemp farm would probably be a good place to plant wind turbines too. . . .
I'll lift a placard for both - just tell me where to start!

   As I stated in a comment to one of those blogs, Hemp is where the REAL money is in marijuana legalization. It requires almost no fertilizers, no pesticides, grows so thick you can't get through it if properly planted, and gows 8-10' high (can you say biomass?).

   Did you know that cannabis got it's name from the fabic that was made from it, canvas? The reason it waqs the preferred material for sails is that no other fabric was as durable in the face of the salt air and wind stresses. I tell detractors to put that into their pipes and smoke it.

   There is way too much about this miracle plant to go into detail here. It's a building material. It's a fuel source. It's edible (though probably best used for cattle feed). Hemp paper is hands down superior to wood pulp. No wonder it's illegal! think of the industries that would have a hard time competing. There is a conspiracy theory that says that's the reason for the prohibition.

   Anyhow, enough of my ranting :-). I can go on for pages and pages about this topic. Check out "The Emperor Wears No Clothes" by Jack Herer for more detail.

~~Weird Uncle Jesse~~

Very interesting, guys. Honestly I haven't paid much attention to hemp before this, but I do think the push for green technologies is a huge opportunity for any manufacturers wise enough to seize it. There's no reason American companies couldn't be a leader in this area for themselves and the world.

If you see any other innovations like these, please do share them here. Could be a great trade-able opportunity in there, too!