Hawaii may ‘grow’ its homes with hemp

Architect debuts ‘hemp house’ in Kihei

By Sarah Ruppenthal

Source: mauinews.com

Construction is underway in Kihei on what's believed to be Hawaii's first home built with hemp fiber insulation, according to those involved in the project.

The 800-square-foot residence will be fully insulated with a sustainable building material called "hempcrete," which is a mixture of industrial hemp, lime and water.

Maui architect George Rixey, who is building the home, said he introduced the idea of using industrial hemp to the homeowners, who immediately jumped at the opportunity. "They were really excited about it," he said.

Industrial Hemp Hawaii member Denise Key, (from left) state Rep. Cynthia Thielen 

and Maui architect George Rixey examine a panel of hemp fiber insulation on a site 

tour of a “hemp house” in Kihei on Friday.

STEVE ROSE photo

Maui architect George Rixey shows state Rep. Cynthia Thielen how industrial hemp can be 

used as a wall fill in the construction of a new home. Similar to concrete, the mixture is poured 

into wall frames to provide an initial backing to the exterior of the home.

STEVE ROSE photo

Pallets of "shiv," the chopped woody core of the hemp plant, were shipped to Maui two weeks ago from Alberta, Canada, where it was grown and processed. Once the dried shiv arrived on site, Rixey and his crew mixed it with lime and water until it reached the consistency of paper mache.

The mixture was then poured into the wall frames to provide an initial backing to the exterior of the home, which will eventually be finished with a stucco overlay.

"The trick is getting the correct mixture," Rixey explained. "Otherwise, it's very simple and very easy to work with."

Fact Box

Hemp vs. marijuana

Although they look alike, hemp and marijuana are different varieties of the same plant species, the Cannabis sativa plant. According to the North American Industrial Hemp Council:

* Hemp has such a small amount of THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient in marijuana, that it can't be used as a psychoactive drug. Its THC content is between 0.05 and 1 percent.

* Marijuana has a THC content of 3 to 20 percent, and is used primarily for its medicinal and psychoactive properties. It's classified as an illegal Schedule 1 drug under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act.

* Hemp cultivation has been illegal in the United States since the 1970s. The federal government classifies hemp as a Schedule 1 drug.

* Marijuana is the most common illicit drug in the United States, although it has been legalized in Colorado and Washington state. Other states are considering decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana. Medical marijuana is legal in Hawaii, although state lawmakers are considering ways to make the drug more readily available to patients.

* The United States is the world's largest consumer of hemp products. However, it is the only industrialized nation that prohibits hemp production within its borders.

Online: www.naihc.org

The cost of using the hemp fiber insulation is about 10 percent more than conventional insulation, he said, but the extra expense comes with the long-term benefits of generating less waste and using less energy with a nontoxic, eco-friendly product.

"This insulation is made from 100 percent natural material," Rixey said. "It's also 100 percent breathable - it's not a closed system. It's a breathable system, which promotes a healthier interior environment."

He noted that hempcrete, which meets and exceeds Hawaii's Energy Conservation Code requirements for insulated building, accommodates individuals with allergies and aversions to non-natural building products. The material is also free of any volatile off-gassing compounds, known by the acronym VOCs, a stark contrast to the standard fiberglass-and-foam insulations, which are not VOC-free.

The residence has reached the framing phase of construction, and it should be completed in a few months, Rixey said.

The new home is a milestone victory for industrial hemp in Hawaii, said Oahu state Rep. Cynthia Thielen, who attended a tour of the construction site on Friday.

"This is Hawaii's future," she said. "Someday, we will grow our houses out of the soil."

According to the Hemp Industries Association, a nonprofit trade group that represents hemp companies, researchers and advocates nationwide, industrial hemp is now a $500 million industry in the United States. The market demand has grown both domestically and abroad, largely due to hemp's versatility - its fibers can be used to make thousands of products, including food, clothing, cosmetics, fuel and construction materials.

As a building material, industrial hemp is not only renowned for its insulating properties, but also for its water-, mold-, pest- and fire-resistant qualities. In addition, hempcrete pulls carbon dioxide from the air throughout its structural lifetime, which creates a negative carbon footprint.

On Maui, industrial hemp and its byproducts - including hemp seed, hemp seed oil and hempcrete - have been lauded by many as a viable alternative to sugar cane. Many see it as the next cash crop for local farmers.

That vision may soon become a reality, said Thielen, who co-sponsored industrial hemp legislation last year and helped establish the industrial hemp project at the University of Hawaii. Last month, she sponsored the raising of an American flag made from hemp over the state Capitol on the opening day of the Hawaii State Legislature.

Now, state legislators are considering Senate Bill 375, which would authorize the cultivation of industrial hemp for certain purposes under specified conditions. In addition, the measure would appropriate funds for the state Department of Agriculture to assist in the registration of industrial hemp growers and seed testing. The measure passed first reading early last week.

Last year, President Barack Obama signed the hotly debated Farm Bill into law. It was an auspicious moment for industrial hemp, as Section 7606 of the act, "Legitimacy of Industrial Hemp Research," authorized institutions of higher education and state departments of agriculture - in the states where hemp is legal - to cultivate hemp for research purposes. It also gave a green light to highly regulated agricultural pilot programs to study the growth, cultivation and marketing of industrial hemp in order to determine if commercial production of hemp would be a benefit to U.S. farmers and businesses.

Not long after the federal measure passed, then-Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a bill that approved a two-year industrial hemp remediation and biofuel crop research program at the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. However, the program is limited to a single testing site on Oahu.

Recognizing the potential economic development benefits of industrial hemp, the Maui County Council has submitted a legislative package containing a state bill that would authorize an industrial hemp research program in each county under the University of Hawaii, thereby allowing UH-Maui College to research industrial hemp at its Kahului campus.

Hemp, which can be grown organically, is most often cultivated without the use of herbicides, fungicides or pesticides. In addition to its industrial uses, hemp seed is known to be a nutritious food; hemp oil pressed from seed is high in essential fatty acids like omega-3 and gamma-linolenic acid.

Aside from its potential as a cash crop, some local farmers, like Hawaii Farmers Union United President Vincent Mina, see the advantages of growing industrial hemp as a rotational crop to condition soil. As a rotational crop, hemp removes petrochemical-based pesticides and toxins from the soil.

Mina said he envisions hemp being used as a companion to a cover crop industry. "Hemp is an acronym," he said, "for Hawaiian, Environment, Money Producer."

When it comes down to it, industrial hemp is a win-win, said Michael Bowman, a Colorado hemp farmer and advocate. Bowman was instrumental in passing hemp legislation in his home state and is assisting industrial hemp proponents in Hawaii. The policy hurdles facing hemp production today can be credited to widespread mistruths, he said.

"Hemp is not the same thing as marijuana," Bowman explained. "You'd have to smoke a hemp joint the size of a telephone pole to get high."

Hemp cultivation was made illegal in the U.S. in the 1970s, and as a result, hemp seeds must now be imported from other countries. Additionally, the federal government still classifies hemp as an illicit narcotic. It is a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

Meanwhile, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last month. If passed, it would remove industrial hemp from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act altogether and allow farmers in any state to grow the crop.

For now, though, all hemp seeds require Drug Enforcement Administration approval before they are imported, purchased or sold. Last month, the University of Hawaii received a permit from the DEA to import industrial hemp seeds from Australia for its research program.

The future of industrial hemp may be uncertain, but there are many who hope to see fields of hemp on Maui in the coming years.

As an architect, planner and builder, Rixey said he's certain industrial hemp will revolutionize the construction industry, as well as the local economy and the environment.

"There is a viable potential to grow hemp, a 100 percent sustainable building material, here in the islands," Rixey said. "Nothing could be more perfect than that."