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Tag: Pollution

May 22, 2018
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Designing Sustainable Packaging Made From Hemp Paper & Plastic

Posted in Journalism, Ministry of Hemp, and Video

Hemp packaging could be a solution to the problem of disposable, single-use paper and plastic.

“The statistics are in: every second … a half acre of trees are cut down,” said Matthew Glyer of Hemp.Press. “7.5 bllion trees for paper alone is not sustainable.”

Every industry is struggling with the growing problem of waste. The legal cannabis industry is no exception. Both medical and recreational dispensaries depend on plastic and foil containers which are used once, then thrown away. For the most part, these materials are not biodegradable. Single-use paper packaging is also commonplace in the industry.

Read moreDesigning Sustainable Packaging Made From Hemp Paper & Plastic
A Closer Look At Toxins And Lies In Hemp & Cannabis
A road runs between fields, one with drying hay, on a farm. (Pixabay / wobogre, free image)
June 30, 2017
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A Closer Look At Toxins And Lies In Hemp & Cannabis

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

We love hemp, but we’re sick of lies and inflated promises about it.

At Ministry of Hemp, we’re dedicated to spreading knowledge about hemp and hemp-based products like CBD oil. But some sites are more concerned with sales than sharing honest, scientific information about hemp.

While thousands of people have experienced the benefits of CBD, it’s not a miracle cure for every disease despite the ridiculous claims some websites make. In other cases, dishonest vendors rely on misleading labelling and inflated pricing to make their products seem more powerful than they really are.

Read moreA Closer Look At Toxins And Lies In Hemp & Cannabis
Hemp Makes Great Plastic, So Why Isn’t Hemp Plastic Everywhere?
Sea turtle mosaic art constructed from plastic trash found discarded on a beach. (Flickr / Colleen Proppe, CC NC license)
May 22, 2017
Kit
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Hemp Makes Great Plastic, So Why Isn’t Hemp Plastic Everywhere?

Posted in Ministry of Hemp

Plastic is an inescapable part of our everyday lives, so why is almost all of it still made from polluting, non-renewable petrochemicals?

You may have heard that agricultural hemp, the non-mind-altering cousin of cannabis (commonly known as marijuana), has dozens of potential uses from clothing to paper.

Since virtually all climate scientists agree that we must replace our dependence on fossil fuels, and given that hemp can even make the soil cleaner, it’s surprising that this miracle crop isn’t in wider use.

Read moreHemp Makes Great Plastic, So Why Isn’t Hemp Plastic Everywhere?
How Hemp Bioremediation Can Heal Our Soil & Why It Matters To Consumers
A tractor works the soil in an empty field. March 10, 2010. (Flickr / Natural England, CC NC ND license)
April 28, 2017
Kit
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How Hemp Bioremediation Can Heal Our Soil & Why It Matters To Consumers

Posted in Ministry of Hemp

Add this to the many uses for our favorite plant: Industrial hemp can actually remove toxins from the soil.

Not only can you use hemp to make dozens of sustainable products, from clothing, skateboards to medicine, but it can also help heal the earth.

As the human population grows, so do our need for more land to grow the crops that keep us fed. But our dependence on fossil fuels and dirty industrial processes have left a lot of land too toxic to sustain life. That’s where the rapidly growing field of “bioremediation” can be vital. Bioremediation essentially means using living things to heal the soil, allowing us to clean and reclaim some of these polluted lands. While bacteria and other microorganisms can be used, phytoremediation, from the Greek word for plant, relies on crops like hemp.

Read moreHow Hemp Bioremediation Can Heal Our Soil & Why It Matters To Consumers
Following Decades Of High Cancer Rates & Birth Defects, EPA Begins Cleanup Of Uranium Mines On Navajo Reservation
File: The former site of the Jackpile uranium mine in New Mexico. October 19, 2014. (Flickr / Gord McKenna)
September 19, 2016
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Following Decades Of High Cancer Rates & Birth Defects, EPA Begins Cleanup Of Uranium Mines On Navajo Reservation

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

A cleanup effort funded by a $1 billion bankruptcy settlement is underway to reverse the devastating effects of uranium mine pollution on the Navajo Nation.

Hundreds of abandoned mines are scattered across their territory in Arizona and New Mexico, and on Aug. 31 theEnvironmental Protection Agency issued a request for bids, offering $85 million to environmental assessment firms that can document the damage and determine where best to focus resources.

“EPA’s contract is a vital step in the effort to clean up the legacy of uranium contamination in and around the Navajo Nation,” said Enrique Manzanilla, director of the EPA Superfund in the Pacific Southwest, in a press release.

Manzanilla added that the agency would prioritize Navajo businesses and individuals capable of doing the work.

Read moreFollowing Decades Of High Cancer Rates & Birth Defects, EPA Begins Cleanup Of Uranium Mines On Navajo Reservation
Court Orders Texas To Offer Arsenic-Free Water To Elderly Prisoners Amid Deadly Heat
File: Outside the walls of Huntsville prison. January 26, 2008. (Flickr / Mark)
July 5, 2016
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Court Orders Texas To Offer Arsenic-Free Water To Elderly Prisoners Amid Deadly Heat

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

As summer sun sends temperatures soaring across much of the country, a federal judge has ordered the Lone Star State to stop giving poisonous drinking water to some of its most vulnerable prisoners.

On June 21, U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison gave prison officials 15 days to replace the arsenic-laden water supply at the Wallace Pack Unit, a minimum security facility northwest of Houston that houses mostly elderly and chronically ill inmates. In his decision, Ellison said the tainted water “violates contemporary standards of decency.”

“The Texas Department of Criminal Justice plans to appeal the ruling, according to a spokesman,” The Houston Chronicle reported.

Read moreCourt Orders Texas To Offer Arsenic-Free Water To Elderly Prisoners Amid Deadly Heat