H is for Hemp. Q&A with author, Maren Krings

Maren Krings is a photographer, climate impact storyteller and art- and activist, whose work seeks solutions to the socio-ecological crisis. Her six-year journey, to examine how hemp can help create circular economies and contribute to a system reset, amounted to the globally researched book H is for Hemp, printed on tree-free hemp paper, exclusively developed by the manufacturer Hahnemühle.

In 2022 Krings expanded her storytelling to include film, continuing her documentation of industrial hemp within the broader context of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Her inaugural short documentary, produced in Ukraine, explores the potential of a carbon negative reconstruction with hemp-lime material in post-war and response to natural disasters.

Film:
"Ukraine – Chance for a Green Recovery" is a short documentary film produced in Ukraine in August 2023. It demonstrates how the use of ecological building materials, made from hemp-lime, can provide an environmentally friendly and carbon-negative solution for post-war and disaster rebuilding. This approach has the potential to transform our current modern building industry from an emitter to a capturer of carbon, aligning it with the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Book:
H is for Hemp is a globally researched encyclopedic volume on Industrial Hemp in the broader context of climate-change challenges. It is uniquely produced on exclusively developed hemp paper – a first of its kind for digital inkjet book-printing!

Featuring stunning pictures, compelling stories, expert interviews and graphics to enhance the knowledge of all innovators, entrepreneurs, scientists and enthusiasts who are currently leading the modern hemp revolution, it will reveal how hemp can help to create a system reset in today’s world.

Maren Krings interspersed her research and findings with diarised and often amusing anecdotes which reflect and illustrate her personal and fascinating journey to the final production of the book.