The boom of hemp-derived products like CBD oil and CBD tea is attributed mainly to the significant medical benefits they offer.
However, it’s not just your own robust wellness that’s reaping the mind-blowing benefits of hemp – it’s the overall health and wellness of the earth itself.
Below, we’re discussing six amazing environmental benefits of hemp:
1. Hemp Promotes Healthier Soil
Hemp is extremely versatile, growing successfully in an array of terrains. The plant clings to the soil because it forms deep roots – preventing erosion.
Furthermore, hemp fills the soil with microbes that form symbiotic relationships with the plant, which exert up to 30% of its energy to the root zone to make food for microbes. Then, the microbes surround the plant with a barrier protecting it from stress, converting and holding nutrients in the soil and – in turn – feeding the plant.
2. Hemp Fends Off Toxic Metals
Compared to trees, hemp virtually grows at the speed of light.
Whereas trees take decades to yield, hemp only needs a few months before harvesting because it pulls heavy metals from soil.
As such, hemp is ideal for cleaning up contaminated areas – such as Taranto, Italy, where Europe’s largest steel plant is located, and the toxic-ravaged local ecosystem has led to the death of thousands of residents.
3. Hemp Forms Biodegradable Plastics
Hemp is up to 85% cellulose – the highest percentage of its kind on earth.
Plastic can be derived from hemp cellulose, meaning there’s the potential for non-toxic, biodegradable plastic that doesn’t inundate garbage dumps with waste.
Given that the ocean fills annually with 8 million metric tons of plastic piling onto the 150 million metric tons already polluting the planet’s marine environments, why not use hemp-based plastics?
While the tea bags we use for Sky & Wyatt aren’t made from hemp fiber (yet!) they are fully compostable. Try all three flavors with our newest sample pack!
4. Hemp is A Renewable Alternative Fuel Source
Researchers at UConn have discovered that hemp is viable as a raw material for producing biodiesel, which is sustainable diesel fuel made from renewable plant sources. Hemp is so alluring as a fuel source because it converts biodiesel at a 97% efficiency rate.
Also, hemp burns at a lower temperature compared to other biofuels and – when burned in a diesel engine – even does away with the putrid exhaust odor of traditional petrol.
5. Hemp Protects Against Pesticides
Growers of hemp don’t need to use nearly as many pesticides as those cultivating cotton or flax – which consume 50% of pesticides. Hemp is naturally resistant to pests, so it doesn’t require much extra help.
If we replace more traditional products with hemp, pesticides won’t seep into rivers, oceans, and ponds
through the lands and contaminate the world’s water sources and harm the animals within those environments.
Also, it’s worth noting that pesticides are connected to medical conditions such as ADHD and Alzheimer’s. So, not only will hemp integration protect the environment but also act as a defensive shield from various diseases.
6. Hemp Keeps Water Flowing
If hemp replaces cotton as the accepted way of constructing clothing, water-wastage will decrease tremendously.
To extract 2.2 pounds of cotton, it takes 5,000 gallons of water. Conversely, studies show that hemp only needs up to 898 gallons to produce the same weight.
While cotton is depleting limited freshwater sources, hemp barely requires any irrigation.
Hemp Can Save the World One Plant at a Time
The next time you drink you CBD Tea or rub your CBD oil on a sore spot, know that you’re doing more than just helping yourself. The environmental benefits of hemp are profound, and when you purchase hemp and support businesses who use the incredible plant, you’re investing in the future health of the planet.
