Hemp Voices: Micaela Isabel Machado, Old Pueblo Hemp Co.
Micaela Isabel Machado is owner and qualifying general contractor for Tucson, AZ-based Old Pueblo Hemp Company
I am a licensed, bonded and insured General Contractor in AZ. I specialize in Hemp Construction and making my own Hemp Blocks.
Cannabis just feels like a gift from God -- and God wants us to use it! It just provides so much for humanity and our planet as corny as it sounds, I feel like I was called to be in this industry, it found me actually. The Universe showed me Hemp and its become a passion. So I’m just following my heart and doing what I feel like I’m supposed to be doing in this life to make this world a better place. And hemp is the way! I want to see this change happen in my lifetime.
What was a win for your company in the past year?
We scored a most awesome contract with the University of Arizona and Tucson Unified School District this year. We are insulating 6 existing cabins with my Hemp Blocks at an iconic educational camp in the middle of the desert called Camp Cooper. We are making 16,300 blocks for this project! It has allowed my company to expand and allows us to showcase Hemp Building as an educational tool for years to come. Thousands of kids will learn about hemp building when they go there over the years and that is the ULTIMATE GOAL -- to pass on this great knowledge to the next generation.
What is something about hemp building/construction/processing you didn’t know a year ago?
In this project at Camp Cooper, we are using our OPH blocks to insulate the existing CMU cabins from the exterior, so we are treating them like a brick veneer in the application. This was new for me and it took my skilled masons to show me how to do it. This application opens up so many opportunities in the home renovation world which we really need to get our hands on.
What challenges can you identify for the hemp building industry that we must overcome?
As a country we need to address our housing needs. We clearly need more housing and unfortunately people and our governments still don’t see hemp as a serious or affordable option. To get financing and Grants is still really hard. I think we need to put effort into documenting our builds and record air quality and energy usages and lifestyle quality and really put that at the forefront.
Email: oldpueblohempco@gmail.com
