Why to Choose Hemp Over Cotton

by Kristoffer James on September 29, 2010

Came across this interesting article on Hemp vs Cotton. It’s just another reminder of how the plant is not only extrememly versatile, but can how, once again, it’s an extremely eco-friendlier alternative to a very environmentally damaging crop. Here were some key points:

• It takes about 1,400 gallons of water to produce just 1 pound of cotton
• Cotton require only half that
• One acre of land can produce 250% more hemp fiber than cotton fiber
• A field of hemp can also yield two crops a year
• Cotton consumes 25% of the world’s insecticides and 10% of the world’s pesticides
• Most hemp is grown without pesticides/insecticides
• Hemp doesn’t require herbicide because it over-shades weeds
• Hemp is a tremendous carbon trap

The environmental advantage of hemp, I think, are strikingly clear. But the article also goes on to explore how hemp and cotton compare in terms of industrial applications and market potential, and hemp still comes out on top.
It makes you wonder how hemp every got outlawed as a fiber crop. Oh yeah, I remember: William Randolf Hearst printed his news on cotton paper and owned a bunch of interests in cotton farming, so he used marijuana to launch a smear campaign again the cotton’s biggest (non-psychoactive) rival, hemp.
It’s outright tragic and injust that 70 years later, us and the planet are still bearing the burden of Hearst’s corrupt corporate interests.