1. GOOD VIEWS
Bringing it Home, a documentary
by Liz Mund
For years, countless advocates, politicians and green business
owners have tried to find a way to convince the public and the
policy makers of this country to legalize industrial hemp, a plant
whose virtues could fill the rest of this publication and would include
things like: carbon negative, base of non-toxic building materials,
healthier source of omega fatty acids, potential solution to the
dwindling rain forests…and so on. Attempts on hemp’s behalf have
ranged from formal pleas to protests, but despite all efforts; the
general public still seems to be mostly ignorant about this virtual
wonder plant. The continuing lack of consumer interest in hemp
has kept our government complacent, with no real pressure to
legalize growing this plant on US soil.
How can we impress upon this nation that industrial hemp is crucial
to our future and an issue of global importance?
Ladies and gentleman, enter Linda Booker and Blaire Johnson,
co-producers and directors of the documentary “Bringing it Home.” Have you thought about the fact that the walls in your bedroom were
They’re all over it. I had the honor of speaking with Linda at length likely constructed with formaldehyde and polyurethane? Or the
about the project and was granted a sneak preview of the film high probability that various mold spores are multiplying beneath
(slated for completion this fall). Forget everything you think you the floor you just carefully vacuumed, or that hundreds of years
know about hemp. You WILL be moved by this film. after you leave this earth, the cement of your home’s foundation will
be stubbornly and very slowly crumbling, or else taking up valuable
The documentary orbits around Anthony Brenner, (founder of Push space in our overcrowded landfills? Well if you hadn’t; you are now.
Designs, a sustainable building company in Asheville, NC) and
his quest to build a safe, non toxic environment for his daughter. Traditional construction methods and materials contribute to almost
Interspersed with commentary from noted researchers, American half of all carbon emissions globally, and the waste generated
hemp industry leaders, legislative advocates and green builders occupies around sixty percent of our landfills. Moreover, tradional
around the world; the film moves along with a growing sense of construction methods and materials, are cumbersome, riddled with
urgency, punctuated by fervent claims regarding chemicals, heavy, loud, and overall: kind of
the unparalleled potential of a plant that remains inferior.
incorrectly classified as a controlled substance
by the Drug Enforcement Agency.
“The main message that Brenner and his company completed
I like to get across with construction on the nation’s first hemp house
Linda and Blaire, both with successful films in 2010, and the result was a toxin free, energy
already under their belts, embarked on this hemp is that it is such efficient home with breathable Hemcrete©
project unaware of the momentum it would take
on. “I had no idea how big this was going to get”
an easy, positive way walls. The house is also stunning and as
Discovery.com declared, “is so far from a
Linda laughs. Funding the movie has been a to make change on the hippie haven that it could have been ripped
challenge, but both filmmakers are passionate from the pages of Dwell.” Push continues to
about their film, motivated by the hemp movement planet.... The reality is that design sustainable buildings that provide its
and determined to deliver a movie that is both
educational and entertaining. “It encompasses
hemp—is hope.” inhabitants with a comfortable, beautiful, and
most importantly, healthy environment.
so much...but we truly believe in the potential of -Tony Budden of Hempo-
hemp. It’s a health issue—all of it.” Imagine homes, office buildings and schools
Health is on the brain these days. Organic rium, Cape Town, South that regulate moisture on their own, were
produce is mainstream, vegetarians are no
longer pariahs, yoga is reaching epic levels
Africa from the movie incapable of growing mold, pulled CO2
from the atmosphere, were biodegradable
of popularity, and smoking bans exist in over when demolished, and kept a nice moderate
half of the continental fifty. America’s eco- temperature without much effort. You don’t
consciousness is rising too—more companies utilize renewable have to imagine that future—it’s here, it’s called Hemp.
energy, most cities recycle, and hey—it’s cool to drive a Prius. We
care about our bodies, our planet, the air we breath and yet…there Go. Watch Bringing it Home, jump on the bandwagon.
is one area that has a huge impact on our quality of health that
has managed to avoid major scrutiny: our homes. We spend three
quarters of our lives indoors, touching, breathing and absorbing
whatever is in our environment.
12 October/November