The Persuasive Essay Continued….

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Please have your persuasive essays submitted to Google Docs by Monday, March 4th. What follows is a student sample.

Hemp is the fastest growing plant on earth. It will grow anywhere that corn will grow, and requires no pesticides or herbicides. Its natural resistance to drought, frost, pests and UV rays makes hemp a good crop plant. Hemp is an excellent source of food, fuel, and fibre, making it a most important natural resource.

First of all, hemp is the ultimate food source, and it has been for thousands of years. Hemp seeds, which can constitute fifty percent of a mature plant, are second only to soybeans nutritionally; and are cheaper to grow than soybeans. Not only are hemp seeds the most digestible form of protein known to man, they are also high in vitamin B12, an important vitamin found mainly in animal proteins. The nutrient-rich hemp seed contains all eight essential amino acids and the highest amount of essential fatty acids. Hemp seeds are incredibly diverse as foodstuffs; anything that can be made with soy protein, from cheeseburgers to milk and ice cream, can be made with hemp seeds!

Secondly, hemp is an exceptional fuel source. Hemp seed oil can be burned as is or processed into efficient substitutes for charcoal, methanol, ethanol and gasoline through an environmentally sound process called pyrolysis. Virtually free of metals and sulphur, fuel made from hemp burns clean, and does not contribute to global warming. Hemp can also be used to make anything that can be made of petroleum, including plastics. Hemp plastics are biodegradable and recyclable. Hemp ia a renewable, environmentally friendly alternative to Earth’s diminishing fossil fuels.

Lastly, as the world’s strongest natural fibre, hemp is superior to cotton and wood as a source of textiles and paper. One acre of hemp will produce as much fibre as two to three acres of cotton, and as much paper as four acres of trees! Fabric made from hemp is ten times more durable, eight times more absorbent, more mildew resistant, and softer than cotton; and because of hemp’s natural resistance to ultra violet rays, hemp fabric blocks UV rays better than other fabrics. While an astounding fifty percent of all agricultural pesticides and herbicides are used in the cotton industry, hemp, as mentioned earlier, requires none. Paper can be made more efficiently from hemp than from wood; hemp is ready for harvest four months after it is planted, while trees are only harvestable after at least twenty years. Hemp paper, a by-product of the textile industry, contains no dioxins or sulphur, and does not yellow with age. Paper made from trees lasts only 25 to 30 years, and can only be recycled three times; whereas, paper made from hemp has a shelf life of 1500 to 3000 years, and can be recycled up to seven times!

If there is one single plant that can “save the planet” it is hemp. This fast-growing, versatile plant is extremely useful and environmentally friendly. A renewable source of food, fuel and fibre, hemp is one of Earth’s most precious natural resources.

By Monique Perry

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