INTERVIEW: We Talk Hemp with South African Materials Expert Tony Budden

Despite its wide application and potential to generate income in a country badly in need of jobs, hemp is still illegal in South Africa. But Tony Budden, a tireless advocate of growing this amazing, renewable material, is trying to change all of that. Tony and Duncan Parker set out to build a house out of hemp as an example of just how exceptional this plant really is. Overcoming various legal and practical obstacles, Tony worked with Michael Orchard of <a href="http://www.urbansprout.co.za/?q=node/1749">New Earth Architecture</a> and <a href="http://www.wolfandwolf.co.za/">Wolf &amp; Wolf Architecture</a> to realize one of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/ecoza-launches-south-africas-first-carbon-neutral-green-estate/">South Africa's most sustainable homes - and it's made of hemp!</a> We talked to him about his long time passion for hemp, its various benefits, and what it took to build a home out of a material that is considered a narcotic.

<strong>Tony Budden:</strong> After being involved with Hemporium for many years, and learning more about this amazing resource, we followed the growth of the hemp construction industry in Europe. It is one thing to accept wearing cannabis, or even eating it, but living in it was really the next level and the seed was planted, so to speak.

<strong>Tony Budden:</strong> In our meetings with officials in Government here, we saw how their eyes lit up when we pulled out the hemp brick and hemp insulation samples we had in our sample box, and how this spoke to such a real need in South Africa, that of sustainable houses, as our Government is obliged by law to provide those who cannot afford it with a house.

<strong>Tony Budden:</strong> We worked with 2 architects, Michael Orchard of New Earth Architecture and Wolf of Wolf &amp; Wolf Architecture, who combined forces to design a contemporary and functional house. Erwin Van Der Weerd from Perfect Places then adapted the design to fit into his modular building system and built the house.

<strong>Tony Budden:</strong> Sourcing them was an issue since they are not available locally. Hemp is still in the research phase here, so we needed to look to Europe. We found a supplier in France who could arrange the hemp, binder and hemp insuation in one container, and then we had to have the particle board made in China.

<strong>Tony Budden:</strong> The SA government has been fairly unstable since there have been a lot of changes at both ministerial and departemental levels: we invested a lot of effort creating allies in the necessary departments only to find them move elsewhere as things were getting going, and then we would have to start again with the replacement.

<strong>Tony Budden:</strong> We have made it our mission to change the mindsets regarding hemp by a "show and tell" campaign, or as our tagline says "Innovate Educate Cultivate." To this end, we have created a brand that produces everything from clothing to body-care products to construction materials.

<strong>Tony Budden:</strong> Obviously the transport from France and China have added to the footprint, which would be otherwise unnecessary, but also the costs would have been much lower as hemp is fairly expensive in Europe. South Africa has a better climate, more space, and more available labour in which to grow a hemp industry. There is also the loss of potential jobs here in SA that this and other projects like it would create, and we really need to create jobs here.

<strong>Tony Budden:</strong> - Superior Insulation - Creating Healthy Homes - Renewable Resource/sustainability - "Better than Zero Carbon" construction method - Versatile material

<strong>Tony Budden:</strong>Hmmmm, that's not easy for me to answer as hemp has now been tested in most climates and conditions, from homes to huge warehouses, everywhere from Europe to Australia to America, Japan and now South Africa. I would have to say cost is a factor, but this is also coming down rapidly as the industry sees economy of scale, especially if you calculate in the energy savings of a hemp house over its lifespan.

<strong>Tony Budden:</strong> For sure, there are already a few in the pipeline. We are working on the legislation issues in order to grow and produce the hemp products locally, but in the meanwhile also working making the imported products more available here. We will also be using the house to generate as much interest as possible, to help accelerate the whole process.