Don’t Hemp Me Inn
To quote their mission statement, “Margent Farm’s legacy will be a cleaner and healthier world, achieved through innovation, practical action and collaboration.” Hemp is the ideal crop to satisfy that mandate. The fast-growing plants sequester airborne carbon like mad, absorbing CO2 from the air and releasing oxygen. Once harvested, the carbon-rich biomass can be re-worked into various forms such as the corrugated fiber sheets shown here. These tough and lightweight sheets are an appealingly natural alternative to the corrugated metal, PVC, drywall and cement currently used in residential and commercial construction. Margent Farm is currently conducting strength and durability testing at a small purpose-built farmhouse built on-site, as depicted in these images via Flickr member tomline43.
High Rise Ahead
To form the sheets, hemp fiber is combined with a sugar-based resin made entirely from agricultural waste, adding to the material’s green credentials while enhancing its practicality. Other plants could also be used in this process but hemp boasts an unusually high cellulose content – up to 70% by weight – which contributes to its long-term strength. Should these corrugated sheets perform as well as predicted, Margent Farm will ramp up commercial production by the spring of 2020. Now that’s a vision of a greener future you don’t have to put in your pipe and smoke!
This TEDx Talks video features BAFTA and Emmy-nominated director and producer (and founder of Margent Farm) Steve Barron as he describes his transition from film to farming to create a cleaner and more sustainable world.
Looking for a building built with sustainability in mind? Check out Brownstone: Biosolid Boosting Makes Bricks Better!

