"The most environmentally friendly fiber in the world"
Hemp is a cellulose fiber used by the Chinese over 5000 years ago, and has only recently gained new popularity in North America. The great Renaissance painters first painted on hemp-canvas which actually comes from the word "cannibis".
Hemp has played a very important role in American History as well. In the early 1600's, hemp was considered such a vital resource that laws were passed ordering farmers to grow it. Before 1850, all ships were rigged with hemp because of its high resistance to rot and mildew. Colonial taxes were often paid in hemp bales and soldiers' uniforms were made of hemp cloth.
As opposed to cotton, hemp is one of the most environmentally friendly fibers in the world, requiring no pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers and very little water. Almost half of the agricultural chemicals used on US crops are applied to cotton.
Hemp is considered a high-yield crop and produces significantly more fiber per square foot than either cotton or flax. Hemp's life cycle is only one hundred days and hemp cultivation for pulp and paper could stop the destruction and devastation of our forests.
Hemp exhibits eight times the strength of cotton, and fabrics made from hemp are more insulating, absorbent, and more durable than cotton. It is also hyper-allergenic and non-irritating to the skin. Test being done on Hemp show that it is able to kill staph and other bacteria that land on its surface.
