From right, presenters Mike Hasteddt, Ryan Timmerman and “Aircrete” Harry with onlookers including Raul Esparza of Las Cruces at the Earthlings Meetup of the New Mexico Hempsters and Beyond July 26.
A crowd of attendees from across the country gather to watch Brenna’s presentation at the Earthlings Meetup of the New Mexico Hempsters and Beyond July 26.
From right, presenters Mike Hasteddt, Ryan Timmerman and “Aircrete” Harry with onlookers including Raul Esparza of Las Cruces at the Earthlings Meetup of the New Mexico Hempsters and Beyond July 26.
Courtesy Sandra McCardell
Steve Brenna presents his hemp-derived, interlocking building materials at the Earthlings Meetup of the New Mexico Hempsters and Beyond July 26.
Courtesy Sandra McCardell
A crowd of attendees from across the country gather to watch Brenna’s presentation at the Earthlings Meetup of the New Mexico Hempsters and Beyond July 26.
From Taos Pueblo to Earthships, Northern New Mexico has a long tradition of sustainable building techniques, with materials ranging from adobe to tires — and now hemp.
On July 26, New Mexico Hempsters and Beyond, a statewide collective of hemp industrialists, met in Taos to convene their second Earthlings Meetup, a grassroots gathering of hemp advocates, engineers, farmers, builders, and academics focused on sustainable construction and legislative change.
The event's goals were twofold: Make sustainable building practices more accessible to the public; and promote forward-thinking legislation to support those efforts.
Building with hemp offers a sustainable alternative to conventional building methods, according to a press release. Hempcrete is a bio-composite material made from hemp hurds, the woody core of the hemp plant. Combined with a lime-based binder, hempcrete is an insulative, breathable, durable mold- and fire-resistant building material.
The daylong Earthlings Meetup featured presentations on green construction materials, hempcrete innovations, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. Attendees mingled over a potluck-style lunch while exchanging ideas and exploring hands-on demonstrations.
Presenters included Mike and Randy Hasstedt of U.S. Freedom Farms, a veteran-owned company using hemp for sustainable farming and natural building; innovator Steve Brenna of Medanales; Dean of UNM School of Architecture Professor Mark Goldman; recent UNM master's graduate Chris Vreeland; builder and YouTube personality “Aircrete Harry;" Ryan Timmerman, founder of Veterans Off-Grid; and Taos-based sustainability advocate Andre Marq.
The Hasstedt brothers opened the event with a demonstration of hemp-based framing materials designed to replace traditional timber in residential construction.
“The goals of building a sustainable hemp industry for the future require mutual cooperation and individual initiative," Mike Hasstedt said. "U.S. Freedom Farms is committed to building the infrastructure necessary to enable the growth of a value-added supply chain, from seed to sales.”
“If you can build Legos, you can build with these,” he told the crowd.
Goldman and Vreeland presented research on hemp and geopolymer binding strengths and material density developed during their graduate studies. When an attendee asked whether their prototypes were fire-retardant, a live torch test quickly confirmed they were.
Participant Andrez Juarez of Chimayo called the event “an amazing experience presented by lots of intelligent people. I support the focus of working toward community benefit.”
As the sun slipped behind the mesas, hemp presentations gave way to conversations about action. In the evening light, the Earthlings Meetup appeared to be more than a gathering: It looked like a blueprint for a future rooted in earth-based technologies, equity, collaboration and innovation.
