SLV Hemp Project

Hemp is the Future:

Ever since the forward thinking voters in our state thought to give farmers and citizens the legal right to once again cultivate the non-drug, industrial hemp Cannabis species, we have been trying to figure out a way to get involved. As stewards of this planet and this special protected spot in the Valley, we have been talking about supporting the Hemp future. And as an organization -- as a center for the new agriculture and evolving eco-spirituality -- Green Desert Sanctuary is a match for the future economy that Hemp represents for all of us. Carbon negative, Hemp generally requires no support in the form of pesticides or herbicides, and only normally fertile soil. The fiber varieties can grow from 6-12 feet in height, producing massive amounts of a sustainable fiber, and the seed varieties can yield more than 1500 lbs of oil-seed per acre. The seed can be pressed to create a very nutritious oil rich in Omega's and nutrient dense, while leaving behind a "seed-cake" or meal that is very high protein.

The industrial version of hemp even provides the basis for eco-scaled forms of our modern production economy contributing raw materials to everything from paper and fiber based products like textiles to bio-plastic composite materials that are comparable to carbon-fiber or fiberglass. It can be used for creating bio-fuels and has shown great promise as a tool for phytoremediation of contaminants in everything from waste-water to the soil itself. Hemp combines with lime to make hemcrete- a superior building material which offers both structural and insulative benefits and is better in every respect than regular cement/concrete, and much much Greener!

So it has been apparent to us for a while that Hemp should be part of the future, and now we are working on a way to make it literally part of our future. We talked in the past about sending money to support people that are working to make US hemp production a reality, and now we can BE some of those people. The Colorado department of Agriculture began taking registrations on March 1 for those wanting to grow industrial hemp for this year, and we are working to figure out a way to grow hemp, as legally as possible, and as soon as possible. We've already registered our intention with the state, now we just have to find a way to actualize our vision!

So in the next week or so, we will be putting together an opportunity to help support Local hemp through a crowd-funding, slow money type project. As the state Ag folks are quick to point out, this is all (relatively speaking) brand new to everyone. One obligation of growing the hemp is committing to processing the hemp within Colorado, and it is not yet known how many, if any, processing facilities will be in existence this fall. There may not be any, so we may be working on that aspect of this project in a few months.

In the meantime, we need to get the seed in the ground, which means we need to get seed (from mysterious sources unknown, as it is still federally illegal to ship viable hemp seed across state lines) and we need to have a seed strain that can do well in our cold short growing season. Good news is that we have some good leads on a variety, which hopefully will make it safely to the farm. Even better news is that now, as recently detailed in the previous post, we have access to land, without the looming threat of bank mortgages or absentee landlords. Land which we can feel comfortable using to grow hemp. We just need some infrastructure, in terms of water resources, probably a large hoop house, that kind of thing.

Which is where you come in!

We'll be calling on you to help spread the word in the next few days, as we finalize our start-up plan and get the crowd-funding system set up. We'll be asking you to post and repost, share with your friends and twitter out to all your peeps so that we can get maximum exposure of our effort, so that we can have the most success getting the necessary funding to take advantage of this opportunity NOW! We'll also be asking you to show that you support a greener hemp-fueled future for ourselves and our communities through your contribution. And we're working to have cute, fun, and useful thank-you's for those that care about that sort of thing.

This is your chance to support the future of hemp. 
This year it is all about learning, about contributing energy to the growing hemp revolution, about being the change we want to see in the world.

Be the change! Join the Hemp revolution and contribute to the evolution of humanity and the healing of our Mother Earth.

Pet rocks and new dreams in new places

This week we are making pet rocks. Why not? For two little kids who make pets out of paper, this seemed like a good project.






We are also learning about insects and pollinators. I am eager to finally land and really begin to build a flower garden. And bees...I have wanted to get bees for about four years now.

7 yr old daughter's pollinators

5 yr old son's pollinator

On Tuesday we are going to close on a piece of land near Alamosa. 37 acres of sand, salt bush, rabbit brush and cactus. Plus wide open blue skies, the towering protection of Mt Blanca, mountains in every direction you look, and pure silence. Until we get there with the kids anyway.

Mt Blanca

Land near Alamosa

Let the plan be reborn in a new place. We are planning on building an Earthbag house. The benefits of this location are the shallow water table under our feet, the close proximity to town, passable roads, and the affordability of such a large piece of land. Plus, we can grow hemp here, if we figure it out. Hemp is supposed to help marginal soils, which is definitely what we have on this new piece of property. Hemp, in my opinion, has the potential to save the planet. Hemp can replace petroleum in every way, and then some. It will replenish the soils, can be used in building materials, can be used as medicine (hemp seed is powerfully nutritious) and grows fast. Cannabis is good too and has its benefits as well, but industrial grade hemp is the answer to a lot of the problems facing the planet and humanity right now.

I have been scouting out rvs, trying to decide between a trailer and a motor home. Some of the trailers are really big and will be hard to tow, even with our old van. But, depending on what we choose, I'd like to be able to use it in the future to travel around a bit. I still want to go to Mexico, even if only for a visit. We are debating the rv as a potential living space as we build. As we have learned, it is too hard to build if you are not living there too. There just isn't the time, and so much energy is lost in commuting. Plus, it's just easier to stay home if the motivation is waning.

We will hold onto our Taos land for a while and perhaps we will build there too in the future. I can collect sage there and maybe the energy of the NM mountains. It is a beautiful place, but so hard to get too. I think maybe the road is seasonal, and not passable in the Taos mud seasons. Or maybe we will sell it and let someone else carry on the dream. It is a nice, peaceful place.

The wind is back. It is spring, isn't it? Everything not tied down or inside is blowing away. Wind season has just begun. I need to make my peace with the wind. Still, there is excitement in the air and so much potential blowing around. I welcome change and new opportunities.