There is an ever-increasing need to find paper for paper and construction products. The annual world consumption of paper has risen from 14 million tons in 1913 to over 250 million tons in the 1990s. Worldwide, we use up four billion trees annually, with the U.S. consuming over one-sixth of them.1 Most forecasters agree that if present trends go unchallenged, demand will increase dramatically.
According to one study, every year we will need to add an area of timber the size of British Columbia just to keep pace with growth in worldwide demand. Less than one-third of the world's original forest ecosystems are still intact. The United States has already lost 97% of our old-growth forests, vast ecosystems that took millions of years to evolve and provide habitat for numerous wildlife and clean streams. These ecosystems cannot be replaced or recreated by tree farms.
Some experts think that efforts to protect old growth forests have overlooked the problem of over-consumption. Even if models for sustainable timber harvesting are widely implemented, the volume of wood that can be sustainably logged worldwide can't meet our current demand. Therefore, they say, reducing consumption becomes a prerequisite to a sustainable timber industry.
Alternatives to wood face barriers: 1) multinational timber companies have a strong incentive to protect their investments, 2) government subsidies to the timber industry allow inefficiency and waste, 3) building codes and other regulations favor wood-intensive construction, 4) there has been a lack of collaboration among businesses, organizations, professionals and activists involved in promoting alternatives, 5) there has been a shortage of information about alternatives, with some products being hard to obtain.
One of the best alternatives to wood, for economic and ecological reasons, is hemp. Industrial hemp is a low-cost biological resource that can be grown in most climates. It is a hardy plant whose rapid growth and high resistance to diseases largely eliminate the need for costly, poisonous herbicides or pesticides. Another advantage to hemp is its growing cycle. Whereas trees take decades to mature, a hemp stand can be harvested within about 100 days.
Documented uses of hemp are staggering. A 1938 Popular Mechanics magazine article entitled, "New Billion Dollar Crop," stated that hemp "can be used to produce more than 25,000 products, ranging from dynamite to cellophane. It can be grown in any state of the union.
Hemp has been used for centuries in the US
More and more countries are beginning to strengthen their economies and ecologies by growing hemp. Poland, for example, grows hemp for textiles and manufactures hemp particle board products for construction; growing hemp also cleanses soils contaminated by heavy metals.5
The United Kingdom lifted the ban against hemp farming in 1993 and has given grants to companies to develop new markets. French companies are combining hemp fibers with lime to make a lightweight natural cement that can also be used as plaster. Romania is currently the largest commercial producer of hemp textiles in Europe and, after China, is the world's second largest exporter.
After pressure from the German Farmers Association, the German government allowed industrial hemp farming in 1996. Canada, our neighbor to the north, now grants licenses for hemp growing. Nations that ban hemp production are missing an important economic opportunity.
In the U.S., there is a growing mainstream interest in hemp. The American Farm Bureau Federation, the largest farming organization in the country, voted unanimously to endorse the research and growing of hemp. Several states, including Hawaii, Missouri and Vermont, passed legislation in 1996 supporting research on industrial hemp. More and more retailers are distributing hemp products. The Navajo Nation is planting hemp crops to create a more self-sustaining economy.
US Corporations are taking an interest in hemp
The trend has even caught on with the timber industry. Two Fortune 500 firms--International Paper and Inland Container--are co-founding members of the North American Industrial Hemp Council. One newspaper columnist has written, "Since 1937, about half the forests in the world have been cut down to make paper. If hemp had not been outlawed, most would still be standing, oxygenating the planet."6
Since more than 50% of the trees cut are used to make paper and pulp, growing hemp can enable us to conserve more trees and forests. Mills that are closing could stay in business. Hemp's long fibers create high-quality paper for books, magazines, and stationery; the shorter fibers make excellent newspaper, tissue paper and packaging materials. Without using harsh compounds for bleaching, tree-free paper mills can sustain healthy fish populations downstream.
Hemp paper can be recycled several times more than paper made of wood. (One importer of hemp says it is the most rot-resistant natural fiber known and helps stop soil erosion. He thinks hemp could replace 70% of the wood-pulp-based paper produced in the U.S. within the next 30 years).
Hemp can even be used to manufacture plastic products, including plates and cups for a compostable styrofoam replacement. Plastic packaging made from hemp (like the kind found inside cereal boxes) could be composted at home, eliminating some of the high costs of landfilling.
Other fibers being used for paper-making
Like hemp, kenaf (pronounced kuh-NAFF) is an ancient material being rediscovered. A fiber plant native to Africa, kenaf is currently being used for paper. Research sponsored by the United States Department Agriculture found kenaf to be excellent for a range of uses, from paper to potting-soil blends. Kenaf, currently grown in regions of Asia, Europe and the US, can be harvested up to twice a year. But it is not as hardy as hemp and doesn't grow well in all climates.
Agri-pulp, or agricultural wastes, can also reduce our dependence upon trees. Each year, in farm fields across North America, approximately 200 million tons of straw from wheat, rice and other grains is left rotting in the fields. Burning of straw in industrial grass fields in Oregon has contributed to air pollution and health concerns throughout the Willamette Valley. Annual rice fires in the Sacramento Valley have so deteriorated the air quality that a law now requires a total phase-out by the year 2000.
A Canadian manufacturer has developed a paper that is comprised of 45% agri-pulp, 43% post-consumer waste and 12% calcium carbonate filler. This paper is acid-free and processed without chlorine or toxic chemicals.
Growing these fibers can play an important role in rural economic development. The ability to grow hemp in most climates, coupled with its the array of products it can be used for, could help many regions sustain themselves. New jobs and businesses in farming, manufacturing and retailing can also be created. In Oregon, for example, growing and selling hemp could help communities that have been traditionally dependent upon logging.
All tree-free enterprises face the same hurdles of lack of infrastructure, financing, government support (especially for hemp) and pricing. But, as demand for tree-free products increases, there will be vital markets for these fibers. Efforts are underway to pass legislation to legalize commercial production of hemp in Oregon, including a 1998 ballot initiative. The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act would legalize hemp for commercial use and could provide thousands of jobs as well as revenue for state government. It would also free up funds for law enforcement officials to concentrate resources on more serious crimes: violent crime, violations of environmental laws and major corporate rip-offs and scandals.
Alternative building materials
As we strive to achieve environmental sustainability, we need to re-examine how we build the structures we live and work in. In the U.S., there is a rather elaborate and rigid system of building codes; reworking the designs for traditional wood frame houses could use 30% less wood than current building codes recommend, without threatening structural integrity. Sustainable architecture or "eco-building" encourages resource conservation, ecological forestry and the use of non-toxic products to build homes--as well as the use of materials that are most appropriate for a particular place and climate. Houses of thick walls of earth, brick, stone or straw bales, that are long-lasting, energy-efficient and made of natural or recycled materials, are becoming more popular.
Earth-Sheltered Homes: Early earth-sheltered homes in this U.S. built by settlers, were usually made of earth. Although shielded from cold winds, they were usually damp and dark. But modern earth sheltered homes, built with a variety of materials from earth to concrete and steel, offer energy efficiency, protection from fires and hurricanes, with minimal environmental impact. By incorporating skylights in the design, many of these structures are even more well lit than traditional wood frame structures.
Cob Houses: "Cob," meaning small lump or mass in old English, is an ancient building technique. For millennia, cultures have worked with earth to house themselves. Made of a combination of dirt, sand and clay, such a structure is surprisingly resistant to water. As a building material, cob acts as excellent thermal mass and works well in all climates. (There are cob houses in England that are 400 years old.) Because of the cob's non-toxic nature, it makes a fine building material for people living with allergies.
One of the first Oregon cob houses, two stories high, cost only $500 in materials. Roofing on a cob house can be anything from recycled tires to tile. One possibility is the living sod roof, which can grow herbs and flowers.
Straw Bale: There are two types of straw bale houses. The straw bale houses built by settlers on the prairies were called load-bearing straw bale structures. Bales of hay were stacked up like building blocks and then a roof went on. The other type is a post and beam structure, where you build a wooden structure to hold up the roof. A straw bale house can be built for as little as $10 a square foot. Building a straw bale house is labor intensive.
Masonry: Humans have been building homes out of stone for thousands of years. Stone is strong, durable, and fireproof. A stone house can be built from local stone.
Salvageable Materials: Concrete blocks are always available at building demolition sites. Bricks can be salvaged for floors, steps and sidewalks. Any place that manufactures wood products has throw-away scraps of wood, including doors. Old buildings and houses coming down usually contain perfectly good interior wood, e.g., plywood paneling, cabinets, doors, and sometimes have wonderful exterior items, like shutters, columns, and windows that can be salvaged. With landfills filled to overflowing, reuse of these products saves space and resources.
