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Reasons To Choose Hemp Clothing

By Joshua Gray


Buying new clothes is a pleasure, but it can trigger guilt feelings. Should people spend money on new clothes when there are so many good causes in the world to support? What about saving the planet? Well, by choosing hemp clothing and other items made from this miracle plant, you can do both. And, of course, buying things keeps millions of people working all over the world.

Many people choose cotton clothing for its comfort, natural nature, and the fact that it's absorbent and it 'breathes'. However, cotton is a delicate crop that requires particular weather conditions, a lot of fertilizer (mostly chemical unless you choose organic), and a lot of water. It also requires massive amounts of pesticides and herbicides during its cultivation. In fact, cotton growers use about 50% of all the pesticides manufactured and sold in the world.

Especially in the developing countries of India, Africa, and South America, the health of the workers who labor in agriculture matters little. Many of the pesticides used on cotton are among the most toxic known, with documented health risks. The World Health Organization is trying to raise awareness of this problem, but many poor laborers are illiterate. They also may have little choice of employment and may not be able to opt for a safer work environment.

Hemp, in contrast, is like a miracle plant. It is in the same family as marijuana, but it has almost no 'drug' component. Analysts say an entire tractor-trailer load of hempseed or fiber would render only enough hallucinogen to make one joint. Its use has been banned for years in many countries, but it is beginning to be grown more and more as farmers become educated to its benefits and cost-effective culture.

If they plant hempseed, farmers won't have to spray chemical pesticides or nitrogen on their fields. Farming has become one of the unhealthiest professions because farmers are always breathing in or touching chemicals. These chemicals kill beneficial insects like bees as well as harmful ones, are hard on wildlife, and can rob soils of the organisms that support life of all kinds. By growing this alternative crop, farmers can save themselves and their environment while they save money on chemicals.

They can save on fertilizers, too. Nitrogen is produced by the hemp plant to enrich the soil without needing much outside help. This crop is often used as a rotation for fields that have been depleted by corn, cotton, or other 'hungry' plants.

Hemp is a tolerant plant which can be grown in every state of the Union. It is far more frost resistant than cotton, needs less water, and can grow on many different soils. It helps protect soils from erosion while improving them in nutrient count and in the amount of organic matter they hold. The news must get out: this is a plant we need today, one which helps us rather than costs us.

It is not only used for textiles. Plastics, fuel, healthy seed and oil for human consumption, animal feed, and paint are among the things that this valuable plant gives us. Look for items made from this renewable resource and help it spread throughout the globe.




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