Biofuels and Bio-fools

Hemp-to-Biofuels Research Gets Green Light

“Hemp is a great crop for biodiesel, and we’ve already started experimenting with [cellulosic ethanol made from hemp],” explained Ben Droz with Vote Hemp, a group trying to revitalize industrial hemp production in the U.S., at last week’s National Agriculture Day in Washington, D.C. He pointed out that hemp goes back a long ways in this country’s history, including being grown by the Founding Fathers and the founder of our modern automobile industry. “Henry Ford was actually doing research on hemp fuels and hemp biocomposites. And now today we are looking back to see if we can grow hemp once again.”

The current biofuel “debate” is another good example of what a useless mess the corporate media have become. The talking news-heads earnestly debate the efficacy and expense of biofuel, while ignoring the fact that the biggest “problem with biofuel” is that it’s almost all based on corn.

This situation is very similar to the way Diesel engines have been demonized for decades because petroleum based “Diesel Fuel” gives us the billowing black clouds of Diesel exhaust we all hate. Most people don’t know that Rudolf Diesel built his engine in 1895 to run specifically on alcohol and vegetable based biofuels, and that every Diesel engine today could be running on vegetable oil or old french fry grease.

The fact is, Diesel engines are far more efficient and last longer than gasoline based internal combustion engines, and modern Diesel engines combined with cheaper, cleaner, and easier to grow hemp based biofuels will be a major component of our sustainable future.

If Diesel-Electric hybrid systems are good enough for submarines and locomotives, they should be good enough for us to commute to work and back without using a drop of foreign oil!

The Hemp Food FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Hemp Foods

From: Boulder Hemp Company Inc.
http://www.hempfoods.com

What is Hemp?
Hemp is a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant that contains no psychoactive properties and is grown for fiber and seed production. Hemp can be used to make over 25,000 different products, including textiles, paper, paint, biofuel, particle board, plastics, cordage, and food.

Hemp fiber and its seed have a history of human use over 10,000 years old, but is currently illegal to cultivate in the U.S., making us the only industrialized country in the world that does not allow its farmers to grow this beneficial crop.

Can you eat hemp seed?
Yes! Hemp grain has been used throughout history as an abundant and nutritional food source. Hemp grain produces two distinct food products: oil and flour. The oil is made into salad dressings, soups, butter, and cheese. The flour can be used as a complement to wheat or corn flour to make breads, pancakes, pizza dough, cookies, and many other foods.
How do you process the grain?
The hemp grain that we use in our food products is imported from China and Canada and is sterilized so it will not grow. We press the hemp grain using a cold expeller press to extract the seed oil, which comprises 30% of the weight of the seed. After the oil has been removed, a seed “cake” remains. We grind and sift this cake to produce high-quality hemp flour.
How healthy is hemp grain?
Hemp grain is the most nutritionally complete seed on the planet for human consumption. Each hemp seed contains 25% protein. This protein is more easily digestible than the protein in soybeans because it contains a perfect ratio of essential fatty acids (EFA’s). EFA’s are important for strengthening your immune system and protecting you from disease. Fish oil and flax oil are also high in EFA’s, but hemp contains the most perfect ratio of EFA’s for human consumption. Hemp grain is also high in iron and calcium and is an excellent source of dietary fiber (click here to see more information regarding the health benefits of hemp seed).

What does it taste like?
Delicious! Hemp seeds have a nutty flavor. When processed into flour and mixed with wheat or corn flour, the taste of the seeds is subtle, but provides hemp foods with a hearty and healthy flavor. Some say it “tastes like freedom.”

Why not “de-hull” the hemp seeds?
The most nutritional benefits come from using the whole seed. Removing the shell, or “de-hulling”, hemp seeds has been touted by some food manufacturers to make the hemp seed less gritty and to reduce the possibility of using hemp seeds containing over the Canadian limit of 0.1% THC residue. BHC prefers to use the whole seed to process into flour, thereby maintaining the healthy fiber contained in the hull. Our grinding process produces a flour so fine as to eliminate any grittiness that might be present with less rigorous processing. And we preserve all of the dietary fiber, one of the main benefits of eating hemp food! De-hulling the seeds is an unnecessary and expensive process. Since we rely on licensed Canadian producers, we guarantee our products will not exceed the Canadian limit on THC residue and will not cause a positive urinalysis test for THC.

What are the legal issues involving hempfoods industries?
BHC makes hempfoods from freshly-ground hemp seed flour. The seed we use is grown from non-drug industrial hemp plants, and steam sterilized, in Canada. We may legally use sterilized seed. Title 21 (Food and Drugs) of the U.S. Code, Chapter 13 (Drug Abuse Prevention and Control), Section 802 (16) in its definition of “marihuana” exempts mature stalks of such plant, fiber provided from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of such plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of such mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom), fiber, oil or cake or the sterilized seed of such plant, which is incapable of germination.” Since this definition was adopted in 1937, sterilized hemp seed has been legal in the U.S.

THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the psychoactive chemical in Cannabis sativa. THC is found only in the leaves and flowers of medicinal Cannabis, not in industrial hemp, and not within the seeds themselves. Industrial hemp, as grown in Canada and Europe, is already non-drug, containing less than 0.3% THC in its leaves and flowers, far below the psychoactive threshold. Cannabis sold as a drug in the U.S. typically contains in excess of 4% to 20% THC. If the grain is not well-cleaned, some residue from the leaves may remain on the grain. The Canadian limit for THC residue on the grain is under 0.1% THC or 10 micrograms per gram. – a very low amount. All of our grain meets this Canadian requirement. However, the U.S. does not have any requirements for THC residue. Under federal law passed in 1937, the grain need only be sterilized to prevent growth in order to meet the U.S. legal requirements.

Could I ever test positive for THC in an urinalysis test after eating BHC hempfoods?
No! The seeds grown for hempfoods come from non-drug plants. The amounts of THC, if any, contained in the residue surrounding the seeds, are so infinitesimally small that they could not cause a person to test positive on any test for THC. However, this has not prevented some people from blaming hemp food consumption for their positive drug tests. The drug testing industry needs to develop standards for eliminating these bogus claims, much as they developed standards for people who claimed they tested positive for the presence of opiates caused by their consumption of poppy seeds. According to Don Wirtshafter of The Ohio Hempery Inc. (http://www.hempery.com), “The issue is similar to poppy seeds affecting urine tests providing a false positive for heroin consumption. The urine testing industry has dealt with this issue by requiring a medical examination of any failed employee who claims poppy seeds as an excuse. Nobody has ever called for a ban on poppy seed imports.”

What is going on with the DEA?
On August 9, 1999, U.S. Customs, under orders from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, illegally seized a shipment of legal hemp grain coming into the U.S. from Canada. The grain was owned by Kenex (http://www.kenex.com), Canada’s largest hemp producer. The DEA and U.S. Customs also illegally ordered several U.S. companies to return their seed meal, oil, hempseed nuts, granola bars, horse bedding and sterilized grain that they had previously received from Kenex.

For almost two months, the DEA and Customs refused to provide any written statement authorizing their actions. When the story finally became public at the beginning of October, the DEA released a statement to the press stating that, although sterilized Cannabis seed has “traditionally” been legal, they are now considering it to be a controlled substance if it contains any amount of THC. Now, under pressure from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, U.S. Customs has issued new guidelines that makes hemp seed illegal to import if it contains any trace amount of THC.

We cannot stress enough the fact that the DEA’s actions were/are illegal. They are a federal enforcement agency, designed to enforce laws enacted by the legislative branch. They have no power to re-write the federal definition of marihuana, only Congress can do that. See http://www.levellers.org/dea for more information on this issue.

What is the DEA’s motivation?
Fear, power, and money drive the DEA to engage a well-orchestrated attempt to kill the developing hemp industry in the U.S. and Canada. Canada, which began commercial production of hemp in 1998, is relying on the U.S. market to consume 95% of its products. The U.S. hemp industry sells over $50 million dollars of hemp products a year and is growing rapidly.

The U.S. War on Cannabis consumes over $15 billion of U.S. taxpayer money every year, a large portion of which goes to the DEA. In short, the DEA is worried about their job security. Even though no one could get high from smoking industrial hemp leaves, let alone the residue around the seeds, the DEA is determined to ban hemp products completelyin the U.S.

The DEA is playing for keeps. They will not give in unless they receive an immense amount of pressure from your federal legislators or unless they are sued in federal court to stop their illegal actions. The Boulder Hemp Company is actively pursuing both of these avenues. We welcome your assistance.

WHAT YOU CAN DO?
Contact your federal legislators and ask them to stop the DEA from trying to illegally kill hemp industry. For more information on how to contact legislators see http://www.levellers.org. Please also forward copies of any letters you send to bhc@hempfoods.com.

Boulder Hemp Company Inc.

Manufacturer of Heavenly Hemp Tortilla Chips in four tasty flavors (blue corn, yellow corn, garlic, and spicy).

Try some today and find out why we say they “Taste like Freedom!”

Ordering information:

P.O. Box 1794

Nederland, CO 80466

Phone: 1-888-EAT-HEMP

Fax: (303) 443-1869

Email: bhc@hempfoods.com

Web: http://www.hempfoods.com


Contact@HempFarm.org

Autism Facts and Fiction

The Real Issue That Vaccine Truthers Like Jenny McCarthy Should Be Focusing On

A large study published this month, which relies on the data from 100 million medical records here in the U.S., found a significant association between autism and “harmful environmental factors.” University of Chicago researchers studied genital malformation in boys, a type of birth defect that’s already been linked to exposure to pesticides, and found a strong link with autism rates. A one percent increase in those defects corresponded to a 283 percent increase in autism.

The current state of the anti-vaccine debate  is a perfect example of how the corporate controlled mass media stirs up fear and paranoia while completely failing to inform the public. There is no question that autism has reached epidemic levels, but the real causes are largely absent from the public debate.

Autism is yet another cost of our dependence on expensive and toxic petrochemical products. From poisoned water and air, to bloated military budgets, we can no longer pretend that our addiction to oil is perpetuated because it’s “cheap and easy” while solar, wind, and other sources of clean energy are too expensive or untested.

Not only have cheap and clean energy sources been available for decades, they’re getting cheaper every day, and the costs of “doing nothing” and maintaining the petrochemical status quo are getting more expensive everyday.

Apple, Tesla and The Big Green Battery Factory

apple-logo1tesla_flag

 

 

 

Tesla unveils $5 billion plan for massive ‘Gigafactory’ to manufacture batteries

In cooperation with strategic battery manufacturing partners, we’re planning to build a large scale factory that will allow us to achieve economies of scale and minimize costs through innovative manufacturing, reduction of logistics waste, optimization of co-located processes and reduced overhead.

When I read the above press release from Tesla, another great American company came to mind: Apple.

Both companies are heavily invested in battery dependent mobile technology and have been pushing the envelope in sustainable factory technologies. Apple has the cash to build an independent battery factory anywhere in the world, but partnering with their Palo Alto neighbor Tesla Motors would multiply efficiencies for both companies.

Even if it’s just wishful thinking as a fan of both companies, the fact that Tesla Motors is planning to follow the Apple model of renewable energy manufacturing is another clear indication that the world is moving away from the  status quo of the Fossil Fuel Economy.

The petrochemical industries have peaked and continue to shrink, but they’re not going quietly, as the Koch brothers and their oil soaked allies in congress prove. On the bright side, they are dying like the toxic, bloated, expensive and unnecessary industries they are, and the rest of us will be far better off as fossil fuels become a thing of the past.

Alternative energy is everywhere, use it wisely!

GMOs vs Healthy Hemp Food

Green Festival LA: Interview with John Roulac GMO Inside

John W. Roulac is the CEO of the health food company Nutiva, and they are a great example of the future and potential of hemp foods, along with the other Organic and non-GMO foods that are becoming more and more popular everyday.

One of the great things about trying to convince people that hemp is good food, is the fact that most hemp products really do taste great. People want to eat better, so they feel better, and live longer, and they want that food to taste better while they’re doing it.

There is no question that we will see the hemp foods market grow hand-in-hand other organic and non-GMO foods. As the amount of mass-produced over-processed Food Products shrink, they will be replaced by fresh, locally grown crops. Local farmers won’t be shipping their flash frozen crops across the sea, they’ll be driving them down the road to the local market where their neighbors will buy them.

5 Uses For Hemp

Top 5 Most Innovative Uses For Hemp

While this ancient crop has recently started to gain popularity around the world, it still hasn’t received the attention it deserves.

But as more countries start to see the benefits of this incredibly eco-friendly crop, a lot of cool R&D has been happening behind the scenes.

Hemp is exploding in popularity, but most people still have no idea what it can do. This article list just 5 of its many thousand uses.

Gimmie Some Water

Is solar-powered desalination answer to water independence for California?

From a sustainability perspective, the upside of the technology is huge. The US federal government is currently pumping in about seven million-acre feet of water into California’s Central Valley every year. Replacing a “meaningful percentage” of that figure – say, 20%-30% – would be enough to have a dramatic impact on securing water security for the area, says WaterFX’s Mandell.

The implications for sustainable agriculture are also vast. After a successful proof of concept stage, Sundrop is now building a 20-acre greenhouse, which promises to produce 2.8m kg of tomatoes and 1.2m kg of pepper a year. As well as making desert land productive, Sundrop maintains that its approach reduces pesticide use, cuts food miles and results in better tasting produce.

The arguments from a climate-change perspective appear especially attractive. Saudi Arabia’s 30 or so desalination plants, for instance, currently use about 300,000 barrels of crude oil equivalent a day. The trend in other Gulf countries, as well as in Algeria and Libya, is similar. “The status quo is not sustainable,” concludes the World Bank, which describes the elimination of fossil fuel use in desalination as “critical”.

My home state of California is proudly leading the way to a sustainable future by building on our homegrown agriculture and technology industries.

The next step will be using the vast power of the pacific ocean for tidal energy and clean water via solar desalinization.

If its good enough for Saudi Arabia, it’s good enough for America!

Too Legit To Quit

Hemp growing going legit after decades-long ban

Hemp’s return to legitimacy could clear the way for U.S. farmers to compete in an industry currently dominated by China. Even though it hasn’t been grown in the U.S., the country is one of the fastest-growing hemp markets.

In 2011, the U.S. imported $11.5 million worth of legal hemp products, up from $1.4 million in 2000. Most of that growth was seen in hemp seed and hemp oil, which finds its way into granola bars and other products.

“This is big,” said Eric Steenstra, president of Vote Hemp, a Washington-based group that advocates for the plant’s legal cultivation. “We’ve been pushing for this a long time.”

Legalized growing of hemp had congressional allies from both ends of the political spectrum. Democrats from marijuana-friendly states have pushed to legalize hemp cultivation, as have Republicans from states where the fibrous plant could be a profitable new crop.

“We are laying the groundwork for a new commodity market for Kentucky farmers,” Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said in a statement. McConnell was a lead negotiator on the inclusion of hemp in the farm bill.

Legal industrial hemp is happening, but the DEA and energy companies are doing everything they can to prolong the inevitable energy revolution because it’s in their own self-interests. 

Fortunately for the rest of the American people, the cost of continued prohibition is too high, and the economic benefit is too big, to continue our misguided war on renewable resources.

Tell your congressional reps to stop the Federal government’s war on American farmers and let them grow the food, fiber and fuel we need to thrive as a nation, just like our founding fathers did.

Use War Money to Take Care of Veterans

Vermont’s Senator Sanders Is Right: Use War Money to Take Care of Veterans

The National Journal notes that 18 military and veterans organizations have backed Sanders’ proposal, and Sanders said he believes it will soon have the support of every major veterans organization in the country.

Economists Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes have long argued that we fundamentally undercount the cost of war if we exclude the cost of caring for veterans afterwards. The future cost of caring for veterans is a fundamental cost of war, and honest budgeting would include it in accounting for war cost.

In addition to providing direct benefit to veterans, Sanders’ proposal, if enacted, would help right a fundamental and dangerous wrong: pretending that caring for veterans is not a cost of war. You can urge Congress and the president to support Senator Sanders’ proposal here.

Veterans are the only cost of war that matters, and I think the trillion dollar a year military budget can afford 3 billion a year for the veterans who fought for that military.

Sign the petition and tell the Dept. of Defense to support our troops instead of simply dumping them back onto the streets of America and leaving them at the mercy of corrupt penny pinching politicians who would rather protect corporate welfare then the men and women who protect us.

Just Say No To Coal

Hemp growers cooperatives’ report touts crop’s benefits to coal

Hemp plus coal could equal economic prosperity for Appalachia, according to a new white paper released Wednesday by the Kentucky and West Virginia hemp growers cooperatives.

“It’s about stimulating the hemp economy,” said David Hadland, president of the Kentucky Hemp Growers Cooperative Association and a member of the Kentucky Industrial Hemp Commission. “The public needs to know that hemp is viable, and that hemp is not marijuana. This is just another example of its use.”

The cooperatives advocate blending dry hemp “hurds” with Appalachian high-sulphur coal to reduce emissions at power plants.

“Our results show that hemp biomass is a promising feedstock for power co-generation, a notion supported by recent techno-economic studies,” wrote the study’s authors, Katherine M. Andrews, Alex Donesky, Roger Ford and J. Eric Mathis. “The introduction of industrial hemp as a biomass energy feedstock can improve the economics of co-firing due to adaptability, high per-acre yield, and potential to be grown on post-mining land and reclamation sites.”

The coal chemical spill in West Virginia is just one more example of a toxic industry that could eventually be replaced by industrial hemp.

Whether burning hemp in power plants or pellet burning stoves, it is far cleaner and safer than the petrochemical sources we are currently forced to use, not to mention all the dangerous chemicals used in the processing of those toxic petrochemical products, and the only reason we continue to protect these toxic industries is the misguided belief that there are no other alternatives.

 

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2014/01/08/3023589/hemp-growers-cooperatives-report.html#storylink=cpy