May 5, 2010 – There is a enduring urban myth that Levi Strauss made his first jeans from hemp sail cloth, that he’d originally intended to sell as tent fabric to Californian Gold Rush prospectors. Although the company’s records were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire, the official Levi Strauss history tends not to bear out this charming story.

But legends aside, hemp would’ve made a worthy tent fabric. It is strong, durable, resistant to UV light, with absorbent fibres that would swell when wet offering a tighter seal against moisture. All the reasons it was the sail material of choice back in its hey day.

Moving on to the modern day we find that a British company, Green Outdoor, is bringing the hemp tent back to life. (As well as tents of recycled polyester.)

Formed in 2007, the company launched their line of ridge and pyramid style tents to canoeing industry in 2008. The choice of paddle sports as a target market may be because the tents are not exactly featherweight, and would be less likely to appeal to the backpacking market.

In their media release launch Green Outdoor observed, “Business is one of the most powerful forces for social change. Green are hoping to capture consumer hearts with their combination of ethical business and eco-sound products to inspire a change for the better across the outdoor industry. It marks a turning point for manufacturers and consumers alike.”

In a bit of dig at the much of the rest of the outdoor industry, the company also note that their effort “isn’t just a marketing gimmick or a line extension.”

We’re hope the venture has been a fruitful one for them, though we do note a fair whack of their product is available with significant price reductions.

The hemp tents are actually blended with cotton, possibly because that much 100% hemp would be prohibitively expensive these days.

Green Outdoor also have several models which use a polyester fabric made from recycled “used drinks bottles, unusable second quality fabrics and worn out garments.” (sounds like Teijin’s EcoCircle.)

Additionally, their guy lines, plastic buckles and webbing are made from recycled post-consumer waste. And we read, that for some tents, they also offer tent pegs (a.k.a. tent stakes in the US) made from bamboo.  by Warren McLaren.  Source.

November 24, 2009 – I’ve written about medical marijuana so often in the last couple years my mother must think I’m sitting around stoned out of my gourd half the time. The fact is, I don’t even like the stuff. Then again, I don’t much like the smell of Tiger Balm on my own skin but the benefits are well worth the odor when arthritis hits.

I’m a firm believer in old wives’ tales and various schools of holistic medicine. I believe that too many of our children are over medicated with synthetic drugs in order to keep them tractable or comforted. I’m also not one bit shocked that a family in Southern California is having great success with their troubled and autistic child due to the use of medical marijuana.

Recently, their autistic child was on 13 types of medication. He was acting out violently and literally starving himself to death due to a complete lack of appetite. Today, the child is on 3 types of medication, one to be used only as needed, and another that he’s being weaned off of. He’s beginning to show signs of actual verbal communication. The little boy is calm and sociable. He’s also put on a few pounds and is eating like a healthy child again. How is this possible? Through the consumption of a single pot brownie approximately the size of a quarter, administered once every three or four days. The child’s parents are surprised and thrilled.

A large portion of the medical community is not exactly standing behind the family or the family’s doctor who prescribed the medical marijuana. The arguments against it are primarily that there are concerns about giving marijuana to a child and that it hasn’t been tested for results regarding autism. Rather than ask why this mother is feeding her kid a fraction of a pot brownie instead of 13 ineffective pills a day, they ought to look at the results in the case and ask themselves why the heck they aren’t out there testing this today.

The parents have had to listen to comments such as, “Oh, you’re just getting your kid stoned so you don’t have to put up with him.” Right. A quarter-sized brownie wouldn’t keep a chipmunk stoned for three days. This is the reaction of a childless nitwit. When your own child goes through an ordeal and faces a very real possibility of death, you’ll do anything to help your child. Petty criticism doesn’t make a dent in a mom’s determination to save her baby, no matter how old that baby may be. A dad will knock down a gauntlet of pooh-poohers if they stand in the way of his child’s salvation. If my kid was dying and the only option I hadn’t yet pursued was a big old opium pipe, I’d light one up for him. When parents are afraid for their children, they will grasp at any straw. What a blessing when one of the straws actually works.

The Mayo Clinic has done research on the beneficial effects of medical marijuana on chemo patients. The results were overwhelmingly positive. Prior to the research, it was “privately tested.” The results were so good that it caught the attention of credible research groups. Here we have a case that merits exploration, and the torch bearers and pitchfork wavers are ready to camp on some poor mother’s doorstep rather than say, “Wow, this could help a lot of kids!” By Lily Robertson. Source.