Build yourself a HEMP house! Hemp Mortar

[Mogie]

The Nimbin HEMP Embassy is sponsoring a Build your House from Hemp
workshop and "everyone is welcome to see for themselves how easy it
is", says Klara Marosszeky. "On the footpath outside the Embassy
next Monday at 2pm the concrete mixer will start turning but it
won't be cement in the mixer".

Klara an Industrial hemp researcher has been working with UNSW since
2001 to develop a series of mixes for lime-based mortars and hemp
masonry for a variety of applications in the construction industry.

"Mixing lime-based mortars with hemp is an ancient technology that
is currently being used in modern applications all over the world –
except in Australia. The French have been building with this
technique for the past forty years because hemp has always been
grown there. A lot of what has been grown has been supported by
American investment who are also doing a lot more at home than we
are in Australia.

Now the UK government is leading the way. They plan to reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2010. A major way in which they
are doing it is by moving forward with the hemp industry. They've
just used 90,000 hemp blocks in a $30 million dollar brewery
building in Suffolk England.

There is a natural chemical reaction between hemp and lime that
enables the material to set like cement naturally but with more
flexibility and less weight. The material breathes and provides an
ideal mould free environment with a modern look. Added to that it is
a renewable resource.



You can grow enough hemp for a house on one hectare in four months(One Hectare = 2.47 acres).

There is a waiting list for these houses if only we had sufficient
fibre here. NSW produces virtually nothing and has been left behind
as this reborn industry takes off overseas."

President of the Embassy Michael Balderstone is thrilled Klara is
building a section of hemp wall.

"It will be enlightening for most of the estimated 100,000 visitors
per year who walk through our doors. This year's MardiGrass on May 3
& 4 plans to have a hands on HEMP EXPO where people can mould their
own creations from industrial hemp as well as see hemp paper being
made and handle hemp blocks. We hope this will be a national
gathering of people working with hemp in its various commercial
forms."

Further info contact Michael 66891842 a/h 66897525

[green_nobody]

interesting even through i knew that hemp is used as isolation material and works there better then mineral wool subs - and it is cheaper to produce as you only need short and energy saving process to produce the blocks for construction.