| Friday, August 17, 2007 |  |
| BUilding Straw Houses from flax to hemp | 3 comments |
| 17 Aug 2007 @ 22:17 Building straw houses; From flax to hemp, researchers tout merits of bio-construction By Jennifer Pritchett The Whig-Standard - Kingston, ON, Canada August 17, 2007 Local News - Fuelled by a growing demand for environmentally friendly buildings, hemp, wheat, flax and other grains are now being touted as emerging raw materials in the construction industry. The merits of these so-called "biofibres" and their applications in Canada, the United Kingdom and other parts of the world was the basis of an international symposium that wrapped up in Kingston yesterday. Shelagh McDonald, executive director of the Eastern Lake Ontario Regional Innovation Network, which organized the event, said the symposium brought together the researchers and industry leaders who are using biofibres to foster new developments. "I know there are going to be some collaborations that will spark as a result of bringing people together," she told the Whig-Standard. The Eastern Lake Ontario Innovation Network, partially funded by the province, promotes the bioproduct, biomedical and bioenergy industries. The symposium attracted about 100 participants from Canada, the United States, Africa and the United Kingdom. Participants in the symposium toured a hemp experimental farm near Belleville on Wednesday. Over the two-day conference, a handful of guest speakers tackled topics such as using biofibres in the construction industry and combusting the material to turn it into green energy. CONTINUE READING More > |