Hempzine | December 2007 | Issue #17 - HEMP 'N HOLIDAY
In this issue:
What's New! |
Hemp and Chocolate Children's Clothing.
On their hybrid road trip to the San Fransisco Green Festival in November, Lorna and Bill discovered a unique hemp shop in Guerneville, California. They produce an adorable line of kid's clothing for the 3 to 10 year age range and we will offer them in our Vic west store with selected pieces at Lower Johnson.
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Another new line for us is DREAM DESIGNS . . .
. . . from Vancouver whom we first met at the Epic Show there last spring. Linda Tang has won North American design awards for her herbal dye sheets and sleepware. Hemp and Company is pleased to offer her night shirts, gowns and pyjama pants in Organic Cotton. A full line of women's clothing from Dream Designs will be available in the spring.
2 LOCAL DESIGNERS . . .
. . . have exceeded our highest expectations and created, for Hemp & Co., some irresistable wearables. Cristina of Tola Designs' hemp and recycled vintage hoodies in limited editions are now at Vic West. Caroline of Shiznit Designs has designed a reversible Filled Hemp Hooded Vest to warm up this chilly season.
Our Lower Johnson Store has entered the Downtown Victoria Business window display competition.
You can vote for your favourite window by leaving a non-perishable donation for the Mustard Seed food bank at the store of your choice. The one collecting the most donations will be declared the winner. EVERYONE WINS! Look for the DVBA flyer to see the itinerary of events planned for December.
XMAS Shopping Online
More and more people are finding that it's a heck of a lot easier to do your gift shopping online. If you're one of them, we'd like you to consider purchasing xmas gifts from our online store. If you prefer the excitement and thrill of shopping in person, please enjoy one of our 4 locations!
Community Events |
Sustainable Feast
FoodRoots Sustainable Feast
Saturday December 1, 6 PM
Enjoy a four course LOCAL gourmet meal to begin the Season of Light
Book a table of 8 ($25 each)and celebrate with family, friends or work mates.
Garry Oak Room, Fairfield Community Place
1335 Thurlow Rd
Tickets $30
Cash bar features local beer and wine.
Learn about food security, urban agriculture and more!
Music by the Backyard String Band
Call 595-6742 for tickets
Check out our web site for tickets and more information.
Tickets also sold at H & C and Shift
Victoria Film Festival
FEBRUARY 1st-10th, 2008
Are you the next Tarantino or Rodriguez?
This is your chance! Create a movie in a minute. Choose your medium, whether it’s a video camera, digital camera or cell phone. MyVictoria is a video competition designed to encourage the budding filmmaker in everyone; all ages and skill levels can participate, and it costs nothing to enter! Just create a 1-minute film about what affects and interests you the most about living in the Capital.
HEMPOLOGY 101
The very popular series Hempology 101 is again presented at University of Victoria starting September 12. Ted Smith, the heart of the CBC of C Victoria's Cannabis Compassion Club, is again sharing his extensive knowledge of cannabis to any and all who want to learn more about this amazing plant. The series is free and is held every Wednesday until March 26 in the Elliot Building, Room 062 from 3:30 to 4:10.
For the second year, Bill Finley of Hemp and Company will be a guest lecturer on "Hemp Products". He talks of the hundreds of uses of hemp that are non-medicinal, such as clothing and fabrics, building materials, food products. You can see Bill Finley's lectures last year on YouTube.
For a full listing of Hempology 101 topics and dates you can pick up the free Cannabis Digest newsletter from CBC of C at 826 Johnson Street, Victoria or contact Ted at hempology@gmail.com.
Stephen Whipp Presents - A Greener Christmas
Thursday December 6, 2007.6 pm to 8 pm
The Event Centre, Liquor Plus
Local wine-tasting
Seasonal, local food from Feys + Hobbs
Unique gifts
Who said reducing our carbon and human rights impact can’t be fun? Come
laugh and learn! Join us for an evening of holiday season wine, food and gift
ideas. Taste and feel the difference and have a merrier Christmas as a result.
Oh, and don’t forget your contribution to the Food Bank. Thanks, Steve & Rod.
How to get there
The Liquor Plus Event Centre is located at 2915 Douglas Victoria on the corner of Topaz and Douglas behind the Super 8 Motel
RSVP by December 3 to Moira Campbell.
250.405.3557 or mcampbell@berkshire.ca
Tickets are $30
In support of Dogwood Initiative
WIN a seasonal gift basket from SPUD!
Art Opening |
Vic West - 422 Craigflower Rd, Victoria - throughout December
Artist - Ria Bos
Born in Holland, Ria has been actively engaged in the fibre arts since coming to Canada.
She has always been interested in nature, its materials and its beauty.
These interests led to basketry, weaving, "painting" with fabrics and fibre sculptures.
Ria's art will be up at our Craigflower location throughout the month of December.
Articles |
How is Hemp Connected to Being Carbon Nuetral?
Unlike other crops, industrial hemp doesn't require the use of chemicals to grow. The bulk of pesticides and insecticides are made from non-renewable fossil-fuels. "Cotton uses more pesticides than any other crop for which reliable statistics are known." (Guy Dauncey, 101 Cancer Solutions, 2007) Fossil fuels are required at every stage of production: The burning of fossil fuels in order to obtain the fossil fuels needed to create pesticides/insecticides, then transport pesticides/insecticides (in tanker trucks) and application (in planes and/or tractors) contributes significantly to greenhouse gas production as well as severely affecting land, water and human quality of life.
“The production of every standard cotton T-shirt deposits one-third of a pound of chemicals into the environment and consumes 1,740 US gallons of fresh water. Approximately 1.4 billion cotton T-shirts are sold in North America alone each year. Global 2001 cotton production was 23.52 million tons.”
“. . . [C]onventional cotton accounts for about 25 per cent of the global insecticides market by value and about 10 per cent of the pesticides market. Their use has contaminated water, poisoned farm workers, killed birds, fish and even farmers who use chemicals in order to get farm subsidies.” (Erin Kobayashi, Toronto Star, July 2007) Synthetic fibers such as polyester are made from polymeric resins also derived from fossil fuels. "Every day the United States produces or imports 42 billion pounds of chemicals, with 90% procured from non-renewable fossil fuels. This is the equivalent of 623,000 gasoline tanker trucks each carrying 8,000 gallons - stretching from San Francisco to Washington DC and back if placed end to end. Global chemical production is expected to double every 25 years for the foreseeable future." (Michael P. Wilson. Green Chemistry in California. California Policy Research Center, University of California, 2006.)
"The review concluded that there is 'consistent evidence of the health risks to patients with exposure to pesticides,' naming brain cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer and leukemia among a broad range of negative health effects." (Dr. Margaret Sanbord, et al. "Pesticides Literature Review." Ontario College of Family Physicians, April 23, 2004.) Human lives are lost, quality of life decreases, wildlife perish and healthy soil deteriorates, with little benefit to any. Once the fabric is made, garment construction also leaves a remarkable carbon footprint. ". . . The typical T-shirt has cotton yarn and often fabric that is manufactured in the United States and then the fabric is sent to Central America and the cutting and sewing is done there. The biggest suppliers of T-shirts to the United States are Central American countries, particularly Honduras." (Erin Kobayashi, Toronto Star, July 2007) Also, from an water quality point of view please review the following document (1999) from the World Wildlife Federation: The Impact of Cotton on Freshwater Resources and Ecosytems (WWF)
Fabric made from industrial hemp, which is grown as a successful agricultural crop in Canada and does not require the use of pesticides (nor does it require much rainfall,) and also has properties that increases its value above and beyond cotton or polyester textiles. For instance, industrial hemp fabric is naturally anti-bacterial, and offers better tensile strength (four times stronger than cotton and twice the resistance to abrasion,) better UV protection and comfort compared to cotton uniforms making it suitable for work performed outside, or where durability and cleanliness are paramount. Military uniforms were once made of industrial hemp, for example, and one can speculate that workers in the Health industry, transportation and law enforcement sectors could also benefit. From an economic perspective, the increased demand for hemp textiles could encourage the continued investment in a hemp processing facility in Canada. Thus creating a ‘seed to shelf’ manufacturing opportunity unique to Canada.
Results from our "What does community mean to you?" Questionaire
Congratulations to our winners Kay Fosker, Ronna Fletcher, and Raven!
Thank you to everyone that took the time to fill it out, I really appreciated all of your answers as I have heard the questions took some thinking. So again, thanks to everyone.
The idea for this questionnaire contest came to me after returning from a recent trip to Ontario where I visited my family. I have been living in BC for the last 10 years and all of my family lives back east. I have recently discovered in my own life that family does not always mean blood relatives. I have seen my own family open their hearts and their homes to those who need it. When returning from my trip I found that I was a part of the most amazing community. I have always felt the warmth here in Vic West, but it wasn't until I stepped away from it that I realized how much I love the people that surround me in my life and how much they love me in return.
Hemp and Company opened its doors here about a year and a half ago and the response from the community has been amazing. I wanted to bring my warm feelings that I have been experiencing and see what Hemp and Co. could do for everyone. The responses that came from all who answered the questionnaire were filled with love and support that the company is here. It is an honour to work for a local family owned business in the community that has accepted my family and me. As a company, Hemp and Co also has its own community feel to it for me, to have my work place and my outer community mix is a pleasure. So I asked all of you "What does community mean to you?" and here it is, my turn to sit and think about what it means to me. Right now in my life, community means togetherness, love, respect for all, openness, and support. I love that I can walk along Cragiflower and say "Hi" to the many people that pass by me, some of them I know and others I don't. For me community is also, when a group of people pulls together to help those in need and the person or people in need don't actually have to be a part of the community. An example of this for me in Vic West happened when a woman was rear ended in her car up by the cross walk near the Y. Everyone came out of all the businesses in the square to help in any way that they could for someone that they didn't even know. A man walking down the street said to me that it was like a small village. To me that is what Vic West is like: A small village. It reminds me of a conversation that I had with a customer here in the store. She had come up with the idea that Victoria was to her like a collection of small villages and I can't help but agree with her, and feel honoured to live in what I think is the most amazing city.
As the manager here at our Vic West store I will continue to provide you with the information that you need. If I don't know something, I will definitely do my best to find the answers. So, stay tuned or drop in to see our new lines and the great new local companies that we are continuing to find.
Thank-you,
Erin :)
In The News
Naturally Advanced Technologies announces participation in Bio-Fibres Symposium
Mr. Jason Finnis, the Company's co-founder and Chief Operating Officer has been invited to present the latest developments in CRAILAR(R) fiber technology, the Company's proprietary biotechnology for processing organic bast fibers such as hemp and flax, two abundant, agriculturally-produced renewable resources.
Controversial hemp farmer wins award
Farmer Ulf Hammarsten has been awarded an environmental prize by officials Laholm for his decision to fight a ban on the cultivation of industrial hemp all the way to the EU courts.
Hemp: The little plant that could
Hemp’s got a bad reputation. So bad in fact, that commercial production of the plant is actually banned in the U.S. It seems that a large part of the problem is its close relation to another plant of the illegal smoking variety. This guilt by association is really too bad, because the multifaceted hemp plant can be transformed into numerous items — like paper, food, fuel, beauty products, clothing and accessories — that make our everyday lives better.
502 Baker Street | Nelson, BC | V1L 4H9: nelson@hempandcompany.com 250.354.1225 (toll free: 1.866.633.4367)
547 Johnson Street | Victoria, BC | V8W 1M2: marielle@hempandcompany.com 250.383.4367 (toll free: 1.866.383.4367)
422 Craigflower Rd | Victoria, BC | V9A 2V8: erin@hempandcompany.com 250.412.0880
Shift: Johnson Street Location: 574B Johnson Street | Victoria, BC | V8W 1M3: jeremy@shiftfashion.ca 250.385.7443