Hempzine | February 2008 | Issue #18 - HEMP O'LICIOUS
In this issue:
What's New!
Free Hemp Tote Bag |
Community Events
Dynamic Governance Seminar |
Art Opening
| Articles
|
What's New! |
Free Hemp Tote Bag
Come into our LoJo or our Vic West Hemp & Company locations, spend $100 or more and receive a free hemp tote bag while supplies last!
Sale on Baby Clothing
All items are 20% off Starting Monday February 4th
Includes:
Blue Canoe, Hemp and Chocolate, Lil inkers, and Efforts
see below for some examples of quality products at great prices!
 SALE! - 20% off - $20.00 Baby Hoody Vest - reg. $25.00 Blue Canoe Organic |
 SALE! - 20% off - $17.50 Baby Tee - reg. $22.00 Blue Canoe Organic |
 SALE! - 20% off - $21.50 Baby Smock - reg. $27.00 Blue Canoe Organic |
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 SALE! - 20% off - $19.00 Baby Long Sleeve Tee - reg. $24.00 Blue Canoe Organic |
 SALE! - 20% off - $19.00 Baby Leggings - reg. $24.00 Blue Canoe Organic |
 SALE! - 20% off - $8.00 Baby Hat - $10.00 Blue Canoe Organic |
*in-store sale only
The Good Seed Grain Merchants
We are happy to carry some new products, hemp seed and hemp flour from this Saskatchewan, family based business.
"The birth of The Good Seed Grain Merchants is the story of a family in Saskatchewan, Canada, who wanted to take back their family farm and live a more healthful life through whole foods, particularly the hardy hemp plant and it’s nutritionally complete seeds. By launching The Good Seed Grain Merchants, this entrepreneurial family has created a strong value chain linking organic growers and processors to create access to Canadian-grown, fairly-traded, freshly-milled hemp seed products. Additionally, The Good Seed Grain Merchants is a platform from which to spread the word about the complete, balanced nutrition of the hemp seed and to promote the growth of the many industries which can come from processing the strong hemp fibres left over after the seed is gleaned." [Read more]
√ The Good Seed - About Us [64 KB .pdf 
]
√ The Good Seed - Why Hemp [116 KB .pdf ]
√ The Good Seed - News Article [320 KB .pdf ]
√ The Good Seed - Nutrition Paper [132 KB .pdf ]
√ The Good Seed - Products [76 KB .pdf ]
Online Sale at H&C!
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More and more people are finding that it's a heck of a lot easier to shop online. If you're one of them, we'd like you to consider purchasing from our online store. You'll find these and other great deals.
Shop Online at Shift!
The much anticipated . . . Shift website is now up and running. Check it out at http://www.shiftfashion.ca/.
Community Events |
VBN - Dynamic Governance
The Victoria Values Based Business Network, as part of their education objectives in 2008, is partnering with John Buck to present an information seminar outlining the principles of Dynamic Governance [233 KB]. This experential workshop will take place from 6-8 PM on Tuesday, March 4th. More information is available at the VBN website.
Where: To be determined
Tickets: $10 for VBN members, $15 for non-members
Please RSVP: to VBN Coordinator Mary Lucas at connect@vbnetwork.ca
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.
Shambhala Tickets 2008
Tickets on sale at both Hemp and Company locations.
Check out Shambhala website for more details.
There will be 8500 tickets made available for Shambhala Music Festival Ltd. 2008 on August 6 – 11th at the Salmo River Ranch.
Art Opening |
Vic West - 422 Craigflower Rd, Victoria - throughout February
Artist - Joanne Thomson
A stubborn watercolourist, Joanne was born in Northern BC where she developed resilience and determination. Thomson’s home is now in Victoria on Vancouver Island. Currently she is exhibiting art in two series- contemporary landscapes and bottled. Images in the landscape series evoke the deep forest or ocean intersections in a sophisticated interplay of line and colour. Images in the ‘bottled’ series depict human interactions, miscommunications and frustrations using simplified human forms and evocative use of colour theory. Thomson holds a Master’s degree in Adult Education and is in demand as a teacher of watercolour painting and drawing. For those who just want to colour, she has put together a colouring book of the bottled images.
Her works are in private and corporate collections.
 Title: Theatre Goers |
 Title: Reaching For The Divine |
Articles |
Frequently Asked Question
Question:
"Where is hemp clothing made? Some people claim that all hemp clothing is made offshore under ‘sweat-shop’ conditions. I trust that you don’t sell clothing made under these conditions. Can you give me some facts to counter this argument, and a list of places where your hemp clothing is made under ‘fair trade’ conditions?"
Answer:
Thanks for your inquiry! In the search for ethical and sustainable clothing, there are many questions that need to be asked. Hopefully I can help shed some light on the issue...
Most hemp fabric and textiles are coming from China right now, mainly because China is one of the main countries producing these textiles. In fact, it's one of the only countries that still makes use of industrial hemp factories. These factories are where the raw plants go in, and the woven hemp fibers come out.
At one point it was actually mandatory for US farmers to grow hemp. Hemp and the industry were poised to make great changes to both the clothing and paper industries. Unfortunately, this was also when the "reefer madness" campaigns began (funded in part by the cotton (clothing) and wood (paper) industries). ). The demonization of hemp was an unfortunate (and unnecessary) consequence of the war on drugs, resulting in most (all?) hemp factories eventually closing their doors.
Hemp crops are very heavily regulated to ensure that no marijuana is being grown. In fact, (to my knowledge) no new licenses for hemp farmers are being issued in the United States. Luckily, things are slightly more open here in Canada (though still very heavily regulated). At the moment, almost all Canadian hemp is grown for food (hemp seeds, oils, etc).
(Interesting side fact: Hemp and Marijuana is NOT the same thing. Hemp leaves look the same, but would never get you high if smoked. Hemp plants are grown for their stalk fibers, bred to contain almost no THC. In fact, if you were to grow a hemp crop and a marijuana crop side by side, the two would cross-pollinate and "destroy" each other. The marijuana would be terrible to smoke (greatly reduced THC levels) and the hemp would contain too much THC to make it past any regulations. Any notion of hiding a marijuana plant in a field of hemp is actually somewhat ridiculous.)
These days we're starting to move BACK in the right direction. One of the companies that our store works with (HT Naturals/Hemptown) has laid the foundation for a Canadian hemp factory in Craik, Saskatchewan. We are still a year or two from its completion, but when it's done, we'll have Canadian made hemp textiles too!
Now the other side of the coin is the conditions under which the hemp garments have been made. I should point out that just because something is produced in China, doesn't instantly mean that it has been made with slave (or unfair) labor. Yes, there are sweatshops in China (but there are sweatshops in north America as well). We don't buy from them. We do our best to ensure that all our garments are coming from a fair source, and we do this by communicating regularly with our vendors about the quality and origin of the products.
Hemp and Company produces our own line of clothing that is manufactured in Vancouver. I believe that Hemp Town does a certain amount of garment manufacturing in Vancouver as well. Both companies still get their raw materials from China.
One of our favorite clothing designers (Nomads Hemp Wear) actually went on a little trip last year to China. At a certain point they realized that they couldn't manufacture everything they wanted to in Vancouver, so they took their manufacturing overseas. Luckily, while they were there they visited the factories where their garments are made, taking pictures and documenting conditions as they went. They even compiled a report about it (which I've attached for your reference), to help reassure everyone that they're still manufacturing under the best conditions possible. (I have some similar reports from some of our other companies as well, though not in a digital format that I could send with this.)
Anyways, I don't want to ramble on for too long... nor did I plan to write a whole report about the "ethical sourcing of hemp garments". As you can see though, the issue is clearly not just black and white. While it is true that the hemp comes from China, we do our best to ensure that every product is ethically manufactured (before we even place an order). It's our hope that by promoting hemp (and getting around the stigma/association with the drug) that the industry can grow again in North America.
As an aside, Bamboo fiber is another eco fiber that's been making waves lately. Last I heard though, a Chinese company owns the patent on the process of transforming raw bamboo into fiber (although it can be somewhat chemically intensive). This just means that a lot of bamboo material (even if the garment is put together in Canada) is coming from China as well. There are definite pros and cons to every material.
Hopefully this information has helped answer some of your questions. Like I mentioned, there are many different questions and considerations that need to be made before purchasing any garment these days. As an 'eco-clothing store,' it's our goal to make it easier for our 'eco-customers' to connect with quality clothing. There is no 'blanket solution' that will work for everyone though. If somebody still feels unsure about hemp, then we also have clothing designed out of other materials, or other lines that are completely designed and manufactured in North America (though not always hemp/bamboo).
In The News
Hemp product plant perfect fit for Craik
StarPhoenix - Saskatoon,Saskatchewan,Canada
... Finnis says hemp can be used instead of synthetic fibres such as those found in performance athletic wear or industrial materials such as fibreglass or ...
Better processes dispel uncertainties of hemp
FarmersWeekly - UK
"Ultimately, hemp has got industrial end-uses and to my way of thinking, that's exactly the way farmers ought to be going."
Hemp fibres used in train brake pads
Fibre2fashion.com - Ahmedabad,Gujarat,India
The Ecopad research brought together the team from the University of Exeters Advanced Technologies Department (X-AT) and a consortium of industrial partners ...
Proposed legislation would permit cultivation of hemp
Rutland Herald - Rutland,VT,USA
Hemp, legally grown in every industrialized country except the United States, has numerous industrial applications. The seeds are processed into food and ...
The Great Ethanol Corndoggle
CounterCurrents.org - India
(see the five-part King Hemp series for much about The King). (4) In Canada, industrial hemp has become the most profitable crop farmers grow, ...
NDSU moves toward starting industrial hemp research in 2008
Bismarck Farm & Ranch Guide - ND, USA
North Dakota State University may begin planting industrial hemp seed next spring to fulfill a 1999 Legislative mandate, ...
Industrial hemp is not marijuana
Idaho Mountain Express and Guide - Ketchum,ID,USA
In future articles, please note that industrial hemp is not marijuana. Yes, they are both members of the cannabis family but hemp plants contain very little ...
Movement Under Way To Make Hemp Hip Again
NBC4.com -
WA, USA
.. Hemp is one of the most versatile, economical and eco-friendly crops on the planet, but it's illegal to grow in the U.S. because it's a cousin to marijuana.
Cannabis hemp 'key' to climate change
PR-USA.net (press release) - Varna,Bulgaria
The poor old and much maligned industrial hemp plant continues to get a bad press. Even though the UK has recently started to produce hemp fibre's via an ...
Kununurra may be home to wa's first industrial hemp farm
ABC Online - Australia
A company planning to establish Western Australia's first industrial hemp farm is assessing the viability of setting up in Kununurra in the state's north. ...
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