Download to read offline
Uploaded bySteve Yetay
Let our people grow presentation
This document discusses the environmental and economic benefits of industrial hemp as an alternative to fossil fuels and plastic. It argues that hemp can replace these environmentally damaging products and help mitigate issues like global warming, pollution, and species extinction. The document outlines how hemp was wrongly banned in the US due to propaganda and manipulation, and how growing hemp could now create jobs and economic opportunity while making industry more sustainable. Citizens are urged to support growing hemp to be part of the solution to these major problems.
More Related Content
Similar to Let our people grow presentation
Let our people grow presentation
- 1.
- 2. Introduction The Future ofLife on Earth The Only Resolution Fighting a Common Enemy Propaganda, Lies, and Manipulation Hemp vs. Marijuana: The Great Misperception Seeking Validity Environmental Devastation Suffer The Innocent Self-induced Extinction Let Our People Grow Agricultural Hemp’s Many Other Benefits Become Part of the Solution No Time To Wait The Final Word References
- 3. Human dependency onindustrial plastics made from fossil fuels has resulted in the contamination of Earth’s land, water, and air; global warming; ozone depletion; the extinction of many species of animals, plants, and marine life; and chronic disease and death in humans. To continue on our current path dooms humankind to certain extinction. We have the power to prevent further damage, but we must act now, before it is too late (Knoblauch, 2007). Image courtesy of Google Images
- 4. The only resolutionto the devastation caused by industrial plastics and fossil fuels is 100 percent biodegradable hemp plastic and hemp oil (Hemp Benefits, 2012).
- 5. It has beensaid that even enemies will band together to fight a common enemy. Educating the world’s inhabitants about the severity of the issues, and appealing to their emotions by reminding them that their families’ future generations may not survive, could encourage people to put aside their differences and band together to save the planet for those who will come after us.
- 6. Propaganda, lies, andmanipulation fueled the ban on growing industrial hemp in the United States. “The super rich have conspired to spread misinformation about an extremely versatile plant that, if used properly, would ruin their companies” (Yurchey, 2010, para. 17).
- 7. One productthat will not be produced from industrial hemp is marijuana. Industrial hemp is the male plant, marijuana is the female plant Industrial hemp will cross-pollinate with marijuana greatly lowering the drug content of the Marijuana. Hemp 0.30% (THC drug) Marijuana 10-30% THC (Warren, 2013, No.16) Image courtesy of Google Images
- 8. America’s founding Fathersknew the benefits of hemp. “George Washington stated, ‘Grow it everywhere, hemp is greatly viable for winning the war and sustaining a future fantastic for America (Meints, 2007, para. 19). As our forefathers did for us, it is our responsibility to ensure our future generations a safe environment in which to live.
- 9. Humans will beextinct in 100 years because the planet will be uninhabitable,…At this point, lowering emissions is just half the story — the easy half. The harder half will be an aggressive effort to find the technologies needed to reverse the climate apocalypse that has already begun. Lowering emissions and moving to cleaner energy sources is a necessary step to prevent catastrophic temperature rises (Auerbach, 2015, para. 1, 3, 4).
- 10. “According to theUN Environment Program, the Earth is in the midst of a mass extinction of life. Scientists estimate that 150-200 species of plant, insect, bird and mammal become extinct every 24 hours” (Vidal, 2011, para. 1). These images might make one wonder whether humans are really the “intelligent” species.
- 11. Reports show that90-100 percent of the world’s population has measurable levels of plastic compounds in their bodies. These compounds, along with the carbon dioxide released by the burning of fossil fuels, cause a number of chronic illnesses in humans (Knoblauch, 2009).
- 12. “…with a NorthAmerican market that exceeds $300 million in annual retail sales and continued rising demand, industrial hemp could generate thousands of sustainable new jobs, helping America to get back on track” (Colwell, 2009, para. 2).
- 13. Hemp has ashort growing season...it can be grown in any state...the long roots penetrate and break the soil to leave it in perfect condition for the next year's crop. The dense shock of leaves, 8 to 12 feet above the ground, chokes out weeds....hemp, this new crop can add immeasurably to American agriculture and industry (Yurchey, 2010, para. 36).
- 14. Hemp, also knownas the wonder herb, the trillion-dollar crop, a global warming solution, and nature’s solution to environmental pollution, can not only replace industrial plastic and fossil fuels, its known applications number over 50,000 (Conrad, 2016, para. 10).
- 15. Join the millionswho understand the vast benefits of growing hemp. Become part of the solution. Write your Senator, grow hemp, and educate others.
- 16. The risks ofcontinuing our current practices ensures the gravest consequences for our future generations. One way to mitigate these risks is to begin utilizing this natural resource as a form of renewable energy and world resource. Change the way you think today, before it is too late.
- 17. “If the USgrew industrial hemp it could stop wars, save the environment, boost our economy, improve general health and well-being, virtually end our reliance on any foreign entity, and save humankind from itself” (Meints, 2007, para. 2). A FINAL WORD Imagine The Possibilities Image courtesy of Google Images
- 18. Auerbach, D. (2015).A child born today may live to see humanity’s end, unless… Retrieved from http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/06/18/a-child-born-today-may-live-to-see-humanitys- end-unless/ Colwell, D. (2009). Hemp is not pot: it's the economic stimulus and green jobs solution we need. Retrieved from http://www.alternet.org/story/133055/hemp_is_not_pot%3A_it's_the_economic_stimulus_ and_green_jobs_solution_we_need Conrad, C. (2016). Hemp economic prosperity for a new millenium. Retrieved from http://equalrights4all.us/equalrights4all.org/docs/bach/Economy.html Corner, A. (2014, Oct. 28). A practitioner’s guide to the psychology of sustainable behavior. Retrieved from http://e4g.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/03.-A-practioners-guide-to-the-psychology-of- sustainable-behaviour-Oct-09-0.pdf CRS. (2005). Hemp as an agricultural commodity. Retrieved from fas.org/sgp/crs/RL32725.pdf Environment America. (2009). The high cost of fossil fuels. Retrieved from http://www.environmentamerica.org/reports/ame/high-cost-fossil-fuels Hansen, R. (2016). Industrial hemp. Retrieved from http://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/fiber/industrial-hemp/ Hemp Benefits. (2012). Environmental benefits of hemp. Retrieved from http://hempbenefits.org/environmental-benefits-of-hemp/ Hemp Farm. (2014). Good drugs and bad medicine. Retrieved from http://hempfarm.org/blog/ Hemp Farm. (2014). Grow hemp, make money. Retrieved from http://hempfarm.org/blog/
- 19. Knoblauch, J. (2009).The environmental toll of plastics. Retrieved from http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/dangers-of-plastic Meints, J. (2007). The hemp plant, humankind’s savior. Retrieved from http://www.voteindustrialhemp.com/ NAIHC. (1997). Hemp facts. Retrieved from http://www.naihc.org/hemp_information/hemp_facts.html NRDC. (2016). Disaster in the gulf. Retrieved from http://www.nrdc.org/energy/gulfspill/?gclid=CJDyidzhi8YCFVCVfgodxgwA8A PSR. (2016). Cancer and toxic chemicals. Retrieved from http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/confronting-toxics/cancer-and-toxic-chemicals.html Steg, L. (2013). Environmental psychology: an introduction. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. Vidal, J. (2011). 200 Species Extinct Every Day. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/17/un-environment-programme- _n_684562.html Warren, B. (2013). Hemp presentation. Retrieved from www.kyagr.com/marketing/documents/HEMP_Presentation.pptx Yurchey, D. (2010). The marijuana conspiracy. Retrieved from http://www.world-mysteries.com/marijuana1.htm
Editor's Notes
- #3 I am concerned for the health and well-being of not only our loved ones, but all of humanity, nature, and the planet we call home. Humans were manipulated into behaving in a manner that has put humanity, nature, and Earth at risk. The problem is industrial plastics made from fossil fuels, both of which are responsible for contaminating the air, water, and land that our forefathers entrusted in our care to pass on to our future generations. Unfortunately, our actions have put the future of all life on Earth at risk. In the following presentation, we have implemented a number of persuasion techniques in the hope that you will come to understand the seriousness of the situation, and join us in becoming part of the solution.
- #4 The world is currently heavily dependent on fossil fuels and industrial plastics. They are utilized in some form in every industry on the planet, from air travel, public and private transportation, packaging, pharmaceutical, to the health industry. Industrial plastics are also responsible for air pollution, oil spills, groundwater contamination, ozone depletion, global warming, and can also be linked to chronic disease in humans and other living organisms (Meints, 2007. “The nation's costly and dangerous dependence on fossil fuel continues to endanger the lives of U.S. workers, the health of our waters, the lifeblood of coastal economies, and the survival of wildlife” (NRDC, 2015, para. 3). If we do not stop producing industrial plastics, Earth will become uninhabitable, and humans and nature will cease to exist.
- #5 Hemp provides a biodegradable alternative for a number of chemical-based products that cause harm to all of nature and the environment. Bio-fuels made from hemp can replace fossil fuels. Biodegradable hemp plastics can replace industrial plastics. Growing hemp can clean contaminated air, water, and soil. Hemp releases high levels of oxygen into the air as it grows, reducing the effects of the depletion of the ozone layer, acid rain, and global warming (Hemp Benefits, 2012).
- #6 Growing hemp worldwide can eliminate the use of toxic fossil fuels and industrial plastics, and ensure the future of humankind and nature. Education, emotional appeal, worldwide solidarity, a strong argument, and a promise of government involvement can persuade the United States government to lift its ban on hemp production. This would require an agricultural analysis and encouraging a farmer buy-in. There is a shortage of hemp seeds, so it is important to grow as much hemp as possible to meet the demand. However, growing hemp is strictly controlled in the United States under the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which resulted from lies, manipulation, and propaganda. Legislation to lift the ban on growing industrial hemp in the United States may require allowing the government to be involved in all phases of implementing the growth and use of industrial hemp.
- #7 According to the North American Industrial Hemp Council (NAIHC), (1997) after 12,000 years of growing industrial hemp, it became illegal to grow in the United States by the enforcement of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. Although industrial hemp differs genetically and by its chemical makeup and use from the marijuana plant, both plants are considered Cannabis Sativa, but industrial hemp contains only trace amounts of THC, which is the chemical in the Cannabis sativa plant that causes a psychogenic reaction (Hansen, 2016) . During the 1930s, at a time when people listened to those in powerful positions, industrial hemp stood in the way of some rich men who wanted to become richer through the production of industrial plastics. Using their connections in the media and the Drug Enforcement Agency, they blasted Congress and the American public with propaganda and lies, and manipulated them into believing marijuana was an evil drug that causes insanity, promiscuity, and death (Yurchey, 2010). Despite their knowledge of the benefits of industrial hemp, Congress failed to differentiate between the Cannabis Sativa plant that produces marijuana and the Cannabis Sativa plant that produces industrial hemp. Therefore, Congress was manipulated into placing a strict ban on growing both plants with the enactment of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which classifies industrial hemp as a Class I controlled substance (Yurchey, 2016). The federal funds that enforce the hemp ban indicate the vast profits being protected by competitors of legal hemp. Those involved in the production and sales of alcohol, tobacco, prescription pills, fossil fuels, petrochemicals, soy, wheat, and corn would lose business to a thriving hemp market, while independent farmers and manufacturers of America would benefit (Hemp Farm, 2014).
- #8 One could argue that hemp is marijuana, and if produced on a scale broad enough to realize the benefits it might open the door for illegal enterprise. However, it is the female hemp plants that produce marijuana. The male hemp plant contains only trace amounts of THC (Meints, 2007). According to Warren, the female hemp plant contains between 10-30 percent THC, where the male plant only contains a minute .30 percent (2013). We need only produce the male plant.
- #9 The oldest records of hemp farming go back 5000 years in China. Until 1883, hemp produced 75 percent of all paper. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, school books, bibles, ships’ sails, clothes, linens, and the country’s first flag were made from hemp. In 1941, Henry Ford not only grew hemp, but also introduced a car made from hemp products that ran on hemp fuel. Rudolph Diesel designed his diesel engine to run on hemp fuel. The paintings of Rembrandt (1606- 1669), Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) and Thomas Gainsborough (1727- 1788) were painted primarily on hemp canvas, often with hemp oil based paint. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had hemp farms (Yurchey, 2010).
- #10 Industrial plastics cause damaging effects on the air, land, and water. Plastics not disposed of properly pollute the land and waterways. These plastics will remain for centuries. About eight percent of all fossil fuels go into creating plastic and creating the energy used to develop plastics. The industrial burning of fossil fuels causes air pollution, eroding a hole in the Earth’s ozone layer, which protects the Earth and its inhabitants from harmful UV rays. Even when buried deep within the earth, plastic buried in landfills can leach dangerous chemicals that invade groundwater, which can have harmful effects on the drinking water of humans and animals. Spills from ships carrying fossil fuels are another disturbing contaminant of waterways (Knoblauch, 2009). “There is an estimated 30,000 sites in the United States are estimated to be needing hazardous waste treatment” (Meints, 2007, para. 5).
- #11 Humans have caused the senseless suffering of countless animals, and it is up to humans to prevent further suffering. Over 180 species of animals have ingested plastic, which contains harmful chemicals that can injure wildlife by clogging the animal’s stomach and releasing poisonous chemicals into the animal’s body. These chemicals affect reproduction and impair development. Many animals die tangled in plastic debris. Scientists have shown that the chemical compounds have reached concentrations that cause biological effects in a number of wildlife species (Knoblauch, 2009).
- #12 Humans face exposure to dangerous chemicals used in plastics multiple times daily through air, water, dust, food, and other consumer products.. These chemicals increase heart disease, birth defects, diabetes, and respiratory problems, cancer, and other adverse effects in humans Each year, nearly eight million people die from cancer worldwide. Many cases of cancer in the United States result from direct exposure to environmental chemicals present in the air, water, food, and workplace (PSR, 2015).
- #13 "Hemp will create jobs in some of the hardest-hit sectors of the country -- rural agriculture, equipment manufacturing, transportable processing equipment and crews -- and the products could serve and develop the same community where the hemp is farmed: building ecological new homes, producing value-added and finished products, marketing and so forth” (Colwell, 2009, para. 9). The estimates of hemp’s profit potential exceed $500 billion per year (Conrad, 2016). “To date, 28 states have introduced hemp legislation…fifteen have passed it, and seven have legalized hemp production… the DEA still insists that federal law trumps the state’s and farmer’s need a DEA-granted license before growing” (Colwell, 2009, para. 29-30) .
- #14 Hemp can be grown as a fiber, seed, or as a dual-purpose crop. The global market for hemp consists of more than 25,000 products. Exact data are not available on the U.S. market for hemp products, but current industry sales estimates report more than $580 million annually. An acre of hemp yields about 700 pounds of grain, which can be pressed into about 22 gallons of oil and 530 pounds of meal. The same acre produces an average of 5,300 pounds of straw, which makes approximately 1,300 pounds of fiber. Based on most recent production and price averages, the estimated value of hemp per acre is $21,000 from seeds and $12,500 from stalks. Hemp’s remarkable advantages are hard to beat: it thrives without herbicides, reinvigorates the soil, requires less water than cotton, matures in three to four months, yields four times as much paper per acre as trees (Hansen, 2015).
- #15 Not only can hemp replace industrial plastic and fossil fuel, it can do so much more. It can be used to create building materials twice as strong as wood and concrete, textile fiber stronger than cotton, higher quality oil and paint than petroleum, cleaner-burning diesel fuel, safer, more fuel-efficient vehicles, and biodegradable plastics. It can also produce more digestible protein per acre than any other food source (CRS, 2005). “As medicine, cannabis has about $6 billion per year in pharmaceutical potential for treating millions of people with AIDS, cancer, MS, epilepsy, asthma, cramps, migraine and other condition” (Conrad, 2016, para. 10).
- #16 Every human being on the planet must make sustainable behaviors a personal norm to ensure the future of life on Earth. Convincing others to do their part in solving pressing environmental issues often involves using psychology. Environmental psychology entails demonstrating one’s own sustainable behavior and giving social cues when one sees others exhibiting, or not exhibiting, such behaviors. Giving feedback and using language that evokes positive emotional reactions, such as talking about the person’s health, family, and happiness will help others adjust their behaviors (Corner, 2014).
- #17 Some would argue the cost to research and develop a new alternative material would be too expensive. Team C believes one cannot put a price on insuring the future of humanity or the health of the planet for future generations. One might argue that the alternative may end up being just as bad for the planet as the plastics we currently use. Hemp offers the only true solution as it is 100 percent biodegradable . One could argue that hemp is marijuana, and if produced on a scale broad enough to realize the benefits it could open the door for other illegal enterprise. The male hemp plant contains only trace amounts of THC. For the production of fossil fuel and industrial plastics alternatives, we need only produce male hemp crops (Meints, 2007).
- #18 After nearly 80 years of government suppression, American farmers are beginning to reap the benefits of hemp crops grown for profit. The debate about what hemp can do has been settled. The lies have been exposed. If the evidence is not enough, we need only look to the past. Across America, state Legislators are facing the facts. American farmers once again are getting an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work. The rebirth of the sustainable hemp plant will again produce food, fiber, and fuel that will provide local industries and manufacturing a healthier path from this day forward. This signals a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, this alone is not enough. If humans continue to protect the fossil fuel paradigm that continues to grow like cancer, the deadly contamination of humans, nature, and Earth will also continue (Hemp Farm, 2014).