BURLINGTON – With Vermont hemp growers now legally able to produce their favorite plant, but still unable to sell it, artisans are looking into way to craft products to sell, rather than the plant itself. Now, through a new partnership with Champlain Housing Trust (CHT), hemp growers will be paid for labor rather than product, all the while supplying homes made out of hemp for low-income residents of Chittenden County.
The past year has seen several new buildings completed by CHT, and with the new hemp deal they are expecting to almost double the number of units available. Previous efforts to build affordable homes out of snow turned out to be problematic in the three weeks of summer that the state often sees, but these new buildings should not be affected by the melting issues of the old houses.
“I think we’re all very excited about this partnership,” said local hemp farmer Herb Blaze. “The homes we build will be sourced using local product, environmentally friendly, recyclable, and 100% biodegradable. It’s good for famers, it’s good for homeowners, and it’s good for Vermont.”
CHT has sold a dozen of these hemp houses so far, with a high rate of satisfaction. The only negative comment received to date came via one internal resident survey, where one hemp home holder responded “Somebody tried to smoke my house.”
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