DTU – Technical University of Denmark

 
Surfers care deeply about the health of the oceans – yet paradoxically – traditional surfboards comprise hazardous chemicals and non-biodegradable materials. Three design and innovation students from DTU are using their bachelor’s project to address this problem. “We’re trying to make the world’s first one hundred per cent biodegradable surfboard. Sustainable boards are in great demand in the surfing community, but there aren’t many people producing them,” says Dan Jensen – one of the students who also surfs in his spare time.
The team’s plan is literally to grow their surfboard in a large surfboard-shaped mould. The idea is to add hemp fibres and live mushroom roots to the mould which gradually fill the frame and bind together. “It’s still a little unclear how the process of growing the board will actually work, but there’s nothing for it but to try – and see what works,” says Dan Jensen.
 
Full Article: 
https://technologist.eu/growing-hemp-and-mushroom-surfboards/

Tom Angell

Photo by Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images
 
Voters in Oklahoma approved a ballot measure making the state the 30th in the nation to allow broad access to medical marijuana.
The proposal, which passed by a 57% to 43% margin on Tuesday, will allow doctors to recommend cannabis for any medical condition they see fit.
Most other state medical marijuana laws delineate a specific list of diseases and disorders for which physicians can authorize patients’ participation.
The approval of such a far-reaching marijuana proposal in a deeply red state like Oklahoma — during a midterm primary election, no less — is a clear sign of the mainstream political support that cannabis reform now enjoys.
 
Full Article: 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomangell/2018/06/26/oklahoma-voters-legalize-marijuana-for-medical-use/#4815af641374

BY MICHAEL KONOPASEK

 
For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a drugderived from cannabis.
The move is being celebrated by those who depend on marijuana to relieve pain and even stay alive. One of those individuals is Alexis Bortell, 12, of Larkspur.
Alexis has epilepsy and requires a cannabis medication to prevent seizures. She was forced to move from Texas to Colorado for treatment.
“I usually black out. I don’t remember [the seizures],” Alexis said.
Since the age of 7, Alexis has suffered daily seizures until coming to Colorado and starting a doctor-recommended THC hemp oil regiment.
She consumes THC three times a day. She said she hasn’t had a seizure in three years.
“The THC really helped,” Alexis said.
THC is different from the newly FDA-approved CBD. While THC creates a high, CBD does not. For Alexis and others, CBD does not help.
 
Full Article: 
https://kdvr.com/2018/06/25/colorado-girl-suing-feds-over-medical-marijuana-encouraged-by-recent-fda-approval/

By Andrew Leonard

 
In 2017, Gavin Stonehouse, a graduate student in plant biology at Colorado State University, started cultivating hemp plants in a special soil mixture dosed with varying levels of selenium. A mineral that occurs naturally in most of the western United States, selenium is also a nasty environmental pollutant when produced in excess by industrial and agricultural activities.
Stonehouse wanted to find out if hemp could handle the selenium. If the plants thrived, it would be an important first step towards proving claims that industrial hemp naturally cleans soils contaminated with a multitude of toxic substances – a process known as “bioremediation” or “phytoremediation.” The next step will be to discover just how much of the selenium the plants extract, and where the mineral ends up – in the plants’ roots, stems, seeds or flowers.
 
Full Article: 
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/hemp-clean-up-earth-sustainability-w521287

Isabelle Lane

A Dutch town will host the world’s first liveable 3D-homes, with residents set to move in next year. Photo: Project Milestone
 
From 3D-printed buildings to hemp-panelled homes, a hi-tech green building revolution is under way across the globe.
An Australian company has revealed plans to roll out 3D-printed hemp homes, thanks to pioneering technology that could transform residential and commercial building.
Positioning itself at the forefront of Australia’s growing hemp industry, Perth-based bio-technology company Mirreco is pursuing a vision of a world where “the dire consequences of global-warming have been averted because we have seized the opportunity to act now”.
Mirreco has developed innovative, carbon-neutral hemp panels for residential and commercial building, which it says can be 3D-printed into floors, walls, and roofs.
 
Full Article: 
https://thenewdaily.com.au/money/property/2018/06/22/3d-printed-hemp-homes/

SOURCE Astro Turf LLC

 

AstroTurf has teamed up with tradition-rich De La Salle High School to install the first athletic field of its kind in the state of California. The 75,000 square foot field features Trionic, the new wonderfiber of the synthetic turf industry.

 
Advantages of this super-durable system include hemp which wicks water to help further reduce surface temperatures (which is crucial in the hot California sun), no water required for the product integrity and the bulk density reduces the quantity needed.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.nbc-2.com/story/38455538/de-la-salle-high-school-and-astroturf-are-making-history-in-california

by Carolyn Fortuna

Image courtesy Proud Green Building
 
A biorefinery in India will convert bamboo into biocoal, which will be one of the sources used to fuel a combined-heat-and-power (CHP) plant. Clean Electricity Generation and Stork, a Fluor Co., will build and maintain new biocoal production facilities in Estonia in late 2018. Biomass Secure Power, Inc. has entered into a memorandum of understanding with a Natchitoches, Louisiana power plant and will commence shipping biocoal in the third quarter of 2019.
So what’s this excitement over biocoal all about?
Biocoal is a product produced by thermally upgrading biomass in an inert environment (no oxygen) at high temperatures. From forest product residuals to sugarcane bagasse, from Hibiscus Cannabinus to hemp, the term biomass is used to describe anything with a cellulosic structure. And while biomass itself is often used as a fuel source, upgrading biomass to biocoal offers many benefits. The conversion of biomass to biocoal creates a product with similar characteristics to traditional fossil-based coal, making it a viable option for coal consumers looking to reduce their emissions.
 
Full Article:
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/05/30/smoke-this-clean-biocoal-from-hibiscus-cannabinus-hemp-helps-reduce-ghg-emissions/

 
Full Article:
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-pa-hemp-lackawanna-research-20180526-story.html

by Hanna Watkin

 
Save the planet and print using hemp: 3Dfuel is now offering a new, improved Entwined hemp filament with some “pretty big” changes from their v1 first release of the material.
Although we believe 3D printing could save our environment by reducing waste and speeding up manufacturing processes, there is yet some way to go to produce a popular filament for hobbyists which is good for the planet too.
However, 3D printing filament company 3Dfuel is working on creating specialized 3D printing filaments which have a focus on sustainability and eco-friendliness.
 
Full Article: 
https://all3dp.com/entwined-hemp-filament-v2-now-available/
 
 

Bob Woods

 
Full Article: 
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/20/building-your-dream-home-could-send-you-to-the-hemp-dealer.html