Natureflections photography greeting cards now made with hemp/recycled paper! This new paper is eco friendly and archival quality! It will last hundreds of years longer than tree paper. It is unbleached and has a natural off-white color with tiny specks of hemp fiber visible, which beautifully compliments the colors and shapes of nature.
“Papermaking is an ancient craft. Legend credits Ts'ai-Lun, a Chinese eunuch in the emperor's court, with inventing paper about 105 AD. Specimens were found in the Great Wall of China which date back 200 years earlier. These papers were made from hemp.”
Professionally printed 4x6 photograph hand mounted onto hemp/recycled folded card
Each card is signed by the artist.
Cards come protected in crystal clear, archival PVC-free sealed sleeves.
Growing Hemp
Here are some of the major environmental benefits of growing hemp:
- Fast and robust growth: Hemp grows extremely fast and can be grown in any climate, in any agronomic system
- No herbicides/pesticides required: Hemp can be grown with no (or little) herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, or other biocides.
- Suppresses weeds: Hemp is a natural weed suppressor due to the fast growth of the canopy. Actually, hemp is a weed. Because it grows so fast and densely, it blocks out sunlight to other weeds that are trying to grow.
- Improves soil structure: Due to it’s long roots, hemp replenishes soil with nutrients and nitrogen and helps control erosion of topsoil. Also, once harvested, any residue can act as an eco-friendly manure.
- Hemp produces lots of oxygen: Hemp produces the same amount of oxygen while it’s growing that it would use in carbon dioxide if burned as a fuel. Also, due to it’s leaf/root ratio (this can often be 10% roots vs 30% leaves), hemp can produce between 20% - 40% more oxygen than will be polluted.
- Cleans up pollution: Hemp can actually clean up toxins from the ground. This process is called phytoremediation. A good example of this is when hemp was used to help clean up the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site to remove radioactive elements from the ground.
Hemp Products
Naturally, products made from hemp are 100% biodegradable, recyclable, and reusable. Also, the speed at which hemp grows can provide benefits regarding the resource requirements of the end product.
Here are some examples of how hemp products could benefit our environment and our health:
- Switching to hemp paper could reduce deforestation significantly. For every 4 acres of trees that are required annually to make paper, only an acre of hemp would be required. Furthermore, because hemp paper can be recycled so many times (up to 7 or 8 times), much less is needed. In comparison, paper from wood pulp can only be recycled around 3 times. This means even more trees are required.
- Clothing and textiles made from hemp have no residual chemicals that could affect our health (as many other fabrics do).
- Hemp based fabrics block the sun’s UV rays more effectively than other fabrics. This is true, even if it’s only a 50% blend with another fabric.
- Hemp oil is the richest known source of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids (the “good” fats)
It’s widely known that hemp can be used in so many ways as an eco-friendly alternative to current methods. Given that so many of today’s products are produced from toxic materials, by switching to hemp based products, the benefits for the environment (and ourselves) would be enormous.
source: http://www.natural-environment.com/blog/2008/01/31/environmental-benefits-of-hemp/
