Colorado is home to several hemp farms who use their harvest make products like paper, clothing, and food, but one company wants to use their harvests for making hempcrete – a building material for houses.

Hempcrete is a bio-composite made of the inner woody core of the hemp plant mixed with a lime-based binder. The hemp core or “Shiv” has a high silica content which allows it to bind well with lime. The result is a lightweight cementitious insulating material weighing about a seventh or an eighth of the weight of concrete that is fireproof, waterproof and rot proof.

Left Hand Hemp, ran by CEO Kelly Thornton and hemp event coordinator Alli Clloyd, want to see hempcrete take over the construction industry. The company also hosts workshops where they teach people how to build with hempcrete, while simultaneously building a hempcrete structure.

The company’s first completed building was an artist workshop on private property in Colorado. A handful of volunteers helped Left Hand Hemp build hempcrete in a 20 feet by 16 feet space.

“We like the idea of teaching people how to be sustainable,” Thornton explained to 303 Magazine. “Anyone can go buy a book on this subject but we offer them the chance to actually get their hands dirty and activate the information.”

After their artist workshop was completed, they were approached by another private landowner in Southern Colorado to build two 18 feet by 32 feet structures on a ranch. Construction is set to begin later this year. However, after building the two smaller structures, a full-sized hempcrete home might also be built on the property.

If all works out, the house would mark the first full-sized home using hempcrete in Colorado, and hopefully will pave way for other companies to do the same.