Hemp has meant many things to many people. To some, especially in Oklahoma, it is the beloved cannabis, the source of THC and CBD. In France, where I now live, you don’t hear very much about cannabis. But Cannabis sativa is also the source of strong fibers used to make rope. And paper. There are strong-fibered breeds of cannabis that, well, you might as well smoke rope.
Another thing about cannabis is that it can grow in nutrient-poor, contaminated soil. There is certainly a lot of that in both America and France. Growing plants in contaminated soil is part of the process of phytoremediation, in which the roots remove the toxins without disrupting the soil structure. Often, the stems and leaves are then treated as toxic waste.
But, according to the Eurométropole magazine for juin/juillet 2025, Strasbourg has invested in another use of cannabis, or chanvre. They are funding some farmers to grow it in contaminated (though not extremely toxic) soil. The resulting plant matter is also too contaminated for humans to smoke, but is perfectly suitable for…for insulation in walls and ceilings! The fibers are lightweight and block the movement of heat. Nearly every building in Strasbourg and suburbs (where I live) has been built, for years, with very good insulation which has greatly reduced the use of energy from old sources (such as natural gas) or new sources, such as burning organic wastes to heat a network of hot-water pipes that feed building radiators. Green building and green living is second nature in Strasbourg, and has been for many years.
Green living—and I don’t mean THC!
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