After years of efforts from USHBA volunteers and consultants, the governing body for national building codes in the United States released a residential building code that included hemp-lime (hempcrete) for the first time.

Researchers at Troy, NY-based Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) received a $1.5 million 3-year grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a hemp-based low-cost insulation panel that can cut heating and cooling costs in home retrofits.

Hemp building materials took a prominent place at the Rocky Mountain Natural Building Conference Oct. 20-22. Hemp took the podium along with cob, straw bale, passive house, natural plaster and other natural building technologies, at the Natural Building Alliance's 20th anniversary conference.

Idaho-based Hempitecture, Inc., hosted the grand opening of their non-woven hemp-based insulation materials factory last week in Jerome, ID with confetti, a ribbon cutting and celebration.

As a child of the 1960’s, t-shirts featuring hemp were the rage and everyone was fascinated with it. Little did we know back then that even though Hemp plants and marijuana plants are both the same species, hemp is not the same as marijuana.