an interesting MDF alternative

As you know, a huge part of what Arbour Realty is all about is living by example and educating our clients and friends about green living principles.  Our EcoBrokers are able to help the people of Northern Virginia better understand what green living is through green building, sustainable development and general healthy living practices. If you were not aware of Arbour Realty’s commitment to healthy living, you can check out what they have done just to the office to make it a healthier place to work. The office is outfitted with a number of environmentally friendly building materials from eco-friendly paints to eco-timber floors! It has been a few months since, but I do recall quite vividly how at the DC GreenFestival, I was mesmerized by the gentleman speaking about the harvesting of hemp for fiber and chipboard products at the 2009 GreenFestival.

Set up in front of the stage was a fort-like building made entirely of hemp. It was like “chunked and formed” made hardibacker, but it was made out of hemp! The man flashed a series of slides showing the progression of the process from the fields of hemp which seemed to stretch for thousands of acres to the chipped up final product. This could be a wonderful product for your small or large projects where you are looking for an MDF alternative that provides for a healthier indoor air-quality.
It is impressive to know that not only can hemp be used for its fibrous stalks and oils, but also can be used in its hard pressed form as a sustainable, rapidly renewable building material. Hemp shives also known as hemp hurd is the “chunky part of the stalk that once it is stripped of the fiber” is used along with a no formaldehyde based resin to be pressed together to form the durable board that the aforementioned fort-like building was constructed. It really just look exactly like particle board, only it is smooth to the touch and you can see more of the grains of the fiber throughout the product.
The folks who were set up at the GreenFestival were the informative people of Hemptraders.com. On their website, they  mention that their “real medium density fiberboard made entirely from 100% hemp hurds. No tree was sacrificed to make this board. The binder used to hold it together in entirely environmental and uses no formaldehyde based resins. Use this board to make environmental furniture, counter tops, walls, and shelving. The number of uses are infinite. Save trees and improve your home at the same time with Hempboard.” Hemptraders.com has a  fairly comprehensive written history of the plant from its origins to its current uses and how “materials made from hemp have been discovered in tombs dating back to 8,000 B.C.E.” As a healthy alternative to MDF for your small household projects, look into the hempboard option and see what other possible green products you can use on your green remodeling project this year. Using green products is just one way that you can try to reduce your impact on the environment and strive towards a healthier lifestyle.