Get Sust! Issue 26

 

Can hemp help create zero-carbon homes?

The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in North Wales is hosting the Hemp and Lime conference on Saturday 28 April 2007. The conference will investigate whether homes that are insulated with hemp and lime have the potential to be carbon neutral.

The event organisers say that houses built from hempcrete (hemp mixed with lime) have been found to create less waste and need less fuel to heat than conventionally constructed homes, saving carbon dioxide emissions associated with a building. In addition, fast-growing hemp captures and stores carbon from the atmosphere during growth.

The event will feature presentations from John Garstang (ADAS advisor and co-author of DEFRA’s Hemp and Flax report 2005) and Bodil Pallersen (Danish Agricultural Advisory Service Hemp and Flax advisor).

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The conference is open to all. Tickets are available from the CAT Courses Office. Price £20 per person, which includes entrance fee to CAT and lunch. Book your place through the CAT Courses Office on 01654 705981 or e-mail: courses@cat.org.uk. For further information go to www.cat.org.uk/courses.