Roping in an emerging building material

\f,/HaN I escnN THTNKTNG about writing about alternaV Y tive building materials, several came to mind. But what counts for "alternative," anyway?

For example, there are products that are greener versions of old standbys, such as triple-glazed windows or FSC-certified lumber. I could write about Serious Materials' innovative EcoRock drywall, which they claim is five times more environmentally friendly than gypsum drywall, or EcoPanels' super-efficient SIPs.

And then there are materials and methods that have thousand-year histories but aren't mainstream, such as cob, which combines clay, sand and straw fibers usually sourced onsite. But these kinds of natural alternatives don't usually require much of a supply chain. Instead, I'm going to highlight a building material that will blow your mind: hemp.

Industrial hemp used to be one of the most important agricultural products in the United States, but its cultivation has been illegal here for decades. (That may chanse soon. To learn more, Google "Hemp History Weetl"; fne Puritans brought it with them from Europe, many of our Founding Fathers grew hemp, and as recently as 1942,the government actively encouraged farmers to grow it. In those days, hemp was indispensable for making rope, cordage and sail cloth, and it yielded more usable fiber per acre than cotton or flax. Innovations in more recent times have demonstrated its value as paper and plastic feedstock, nutritive food ingredient, and biofuel. Cultivation can also bring benefits to farming communities as it delivers relatively quick, dependable yields without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.

Absolutely the coolest thing about hemp is that it's being used to sequester carbon in an innovative new product called Tradical Hemcrete. It's a combination of hemp shiv, which is the woody core of the plant, and a hydraulii lime binder. The components are mixed at the jobsite and packed into forms to make thermally efficient, breathable walls that could potentially last for hundreds of years. After its first U.S. installation in the NauHaus, an innovative new home prototype designed by building science think-tank NauHaus Institute (www.thenauhaus.com). there are now several more homes in the works.

Hemp Technologies (www.hemp-technologies.com), Asheville, N.C., is the North American distributor of the product, importing it from England where it was originally developed. Greg Flavel, co-founder and hemp technology guru, said he discovered the product after searching for the most sustainable building material he could find. .,I think this is it-it's zero-waste, non-toxic, breathable, moldresistant, durable, and is carbon negative, sequestering about 238 lbs. of carbon per cubic yard," he told me-, adding "it's also cost competitive."

There are a few limitations, of course. The product is imported from England, where it was originally developed, because hemp isn't yet grown domestically, nor are there easily sourced quantities of domestically produced hydraulic lime. The system is sold in two bags.-Tiadical HF and Tradical HB, which must be mixed at the jobsite by company-trained installers, though any contractor could easily master working with the material.

In any case, those factors will slow widespread adoption of the material in the near term. However, Flavell says they are working on sourcing a little closer to home and developing a new panel system. Panels could dramatically expand the potential applications and make it easier for distributors and dealers to pick up the product.

He says. "We're hoping to have panels available later this year." If all goes according to plans, hemp could very well become less "alternative" and much more mainstream

Jay Tompt Managing Partner Wm. Verde & Associates (41s) 321-0848 info@ williamverde.com

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Carter Moves into Ohio Stock Digs

Carter Lumber, Kent, Oh., hopes to begin hiring 80 to 100 employees by June, for a new wholesale lumberyard and truss plant in Franklin, Oh.

The new facility will be located in a building formerly occupied by Stock Building Supply, which laid off 85 people when it closed. A tentative tax abatement agreement with the city of Franklin would finance new equipment for manufacturing custom millwork, windows, doors, trusses, panels, and engineered floors.

Carter currently operates more than 200 stores in l0 states and employs more then 3,500. The family-owned firm was founded in 1932.

LouisianaSawmill Reopening

Bayou State Lumber, Jackson, La..

$800,000 to reopen the former Netterville Jackson, La., which closed l8 months aso.

plans to invest Lumber mill in

President Adam Knapp said that the move shows ..the viability of the Capital Region's lumber industry, while providing good jobs and restoring an existing facility back to commercial use."

Bayou's main business is making industrial lumber used in the oil production and refining industries, but it also makes a limited amount of finished lumber. mainlv cypress, for construction.

Boise Opens SouthFlorida DC

Boise Building Material Distribution, Boise, Id., opened its 32nd distribution center March 29, in pompano Beach, Fl.

"We are delighted to enter the South Florida market with the broad array of products that our customers demand," said Chuck Donaldson, who manaqes the new center. "We are very optimistic of our growth ind our customer's growth in the market."

The new center has 76,000-sq. ft. of covered storage on nine acres and is rail served.

Ace Rolls Out Grande Gampaign

Ace Hardware Corp. has rolled out its first national advertising campaign directed to Hispanics. The three 30second ads are airing on two Spanish-language radio stations and seven Spanish-language TV stations.

"We've seen strong results at retail by reaching out to the Hispanic market and understand the importance of communicating directly to these customers," says John Surane, Ace's v.p.- consumer marketing, merchandising and paint. "We identified a unique Hispanic insight that separates [us] from the 'big boxes."'

Hispanics in the U.S. now number close to 50 million, with buying power of nearly $l trillion. According to the company, a trial ad campaign in late 20O8 created a jVo year-to-year jump at Ace stores in Denver, Co., with more than l5%o or more Latino shoppers and outperformed nonHispanic stores nationwide. Ace conducted a second trial the following spring and summer in Denver, Sacramento, Ca., and Chicago,Il.

"The ferreteria (hardware store) is part of the local community, where you're always helped and can get in and out quickly," said Jos6 Gonzilez, a partner in the agency that created all three campaigns. "These spots convey the message that Ace is the place where Latinos can have that same customer experience in the U.S."

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