Lower Sioux Indian Community to host International Hemp Building Symposium this weekend
The Lower Sioux Indian Community built the first hempcrete house in Minnesota in summer 2023.
Courtesy of Danny Desjarlais
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Audio transcript
NINA MOINI: I'm Nina Moini. You're listening to Minnesota Now. And as always, we thank you for sharing your time with us. The Lower Sioux Indian Community has been leading the charge in Minnesota in building homes out of hemp. The tribe has its own facility that makes home insulation material, known as hempcrete, which is safer and healthier than conventional materials.
The tribe's innovation has led them to host the 13th International Hemp Building Symposium this weekend. It's the first time ever the conference has been held in the United States. Joining me now to talk about the symposium and the work of the Lower Sioux Community is Danny Desjarlais. He's the Industrial Hemp Construction Project Manager for the tribe and a member of the Lower Sioux Indian Community. Thanks for your time this afternoon, Danny.
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Yeah, thanks for having me.
NINA MOINI: You know what's so interesting about hemp is that a lot of people haven't heard about it, but it's been around for thousands of years, as a building material. Would you tell me a little bit about just how it works, how hemp turns into this useful tool?
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Yeah. So what we use in the hemp plant is just the inside of the stem. And so we break it down. It almost looks like wood chips when we're done processing it. And we mix that with a lime-based binder and water. And it just replaces all of the toxic materials you would typically insulate your home with. You still have to frame your house conventionally, and then hempcrete replaces all of the other bad stuff, if you will.
NINA MOINI: How did you first get involved with working with hemp?
DANNY DESJARLAIS: So the tribe has been on the hemp venture for well over a decade now. But I got brought in three or four years ago, when we started really looking into the building side of things.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. And so what does that look like, looking into the building side? Was it establishing which materials and the framing, like you were talking about? How did that get off the ground?
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Well, we had to bring consultants in from Massachusetts. We've worked with consultants from France, and Pennsylvania, and Texas. And so it was a bit of a learning experience at first with these consultants. And then it was just kind of learning what method would work best for us. And so we've done some projects with basically every method of install that you can do with hempcrete, just trying to learn what works best for us and what's the most practical, I guess, for here at the Lower Sioux.
NINA MOINI: What's the building rate, I wonder, for a house with hempcrete? And how many have you built so far in the past few years?
DANNY DESJARLAIS: So we have five buildings out of hempcrete here on the reservation. And then we've been a part of projects also off of the reservation. But the rate, you can get the house done at the same speed as any type of construction. So that's nothing. It's just the longevity of these homes are going to outlast a conventional construction. Typically, right now, the way it goes is, the next generation of people either have to renovate these homes, or there's always something to fix up and do on a home, whereas these will last much longer. And so you're not handing down that issue to the next generations. So that's our drive with this.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, and really, this was about you saw a need for more housing, and you thought, how can we get creative? Where's the need that you were seeing?
DANNY DESJARLAIS: So actually, the most recent HUD numbers just from last year, it says that we need 196 homes here in our small community. So we don't have homeless people out on the streets or anything. But it's just a lot of overcrowding. And we just don't have enough homes for the people that need them.
NINA MOINI: And I understand you're also working with other farmers to try to keep that supply up.
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Yeah. So we have a real small acreage of tillable land here. And so we're going to have to rely on the surrounding farmers to get on board with this as well. And I think it will open the doors for other farmers to have their own processing equipment because we really need quite a few of these facilities around the state. We can't get by with just the few that we have right now.
NINA MOINI: How is that going, partnering up with other farmers? You're looking for more people, I would assume.
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Yeah. We're always looking to partner. But we also have to upgrade our processing facility. And so the equipment we have is an entry-level system. And so now, we're looking to upgrade that, now that there is the interest from other farmers because if we're going to take on more acreage, we're going to have to have bigger and better equipment as well. So we're kind of growing alongside the industry, but also with our local economy too.
NINA MOINI: And I understand it can be hard. Is it harder to get building permits when you're using hemp?
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Yeah, so leading up to this, it very much is-- not on the reservation. We can create our own building codes. And so that's how we've been able to get through all of that red tape and not have to wait for building permits. But for as far as projects off of the reservation, we've actually had people in Minneapolis and St. Paul and other suburbs that have reached out to us and want to build, but they're not able to get their building permit.
And so a few architects in Minneapolis got together, and they started trying to go for a code change adoption, I think, is what the formal thing was. We went through with it. They went and testified in July. I think July 15 was the final time we went and testified in the state of Minnesota, actually. The Tag group-- it's the Department of Labor and Industry that gets to decide. They approved it on to the next level. They approved the code change proposal.
And so now, basically, the heavy lifting part of it is done. And so now, if the state signs off on it and stamps it, then anybody can build with hempcrete in the state of Minnesota. And we're actually the first state in the country to move that far along with it. And so hempcrete it only got adopted into the International Residential Code as of March 18 of last year. So everything's real new here in the United States.
NINA MOINI: It's really new. And obviously, your work in the state has stood out because the symposium is coming here this weekend. What does that mean to you, to have this community chosen?
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Oh, yeah. It's a real honor. I've always wanted to go and go to one of these events. I think last year, it was in Sweden. And previous years, it's been in France and Amsterdam, and all over the place. But to have it come to the United States for the first time, and to be right here at the Lower Sioux, yeah, it's a very big honor. And I'm actually really excited to learn from all of these people that are coming to speak because they've been doing this for decades in Europe and other countries.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, sharing of ideas, that's so cool. And I understand, it's also a fundraiser of sorts for Lower Sioux. Tell me about that.
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Yeah, so we're actually trying to build a new school here. And so the Dakota language is on the brink of extinction, basically. There's only a less than a handful of first language Dakota speakers left. And so we have a school right now that takes the kids from birth and teaches them Dakota language. It's an immersion school. And so we're looking to build an actual school for them and expand it all the way up until older grades as well. And so half of the proceeds from the symposium go towards the construction of this school. And then we also have a silent auction going on and then a live auction planned for Saturday night that will be hosted by Dallas Goldtooth from the show Reservation Dogs.
NINA MOINI: Cool.
DANNY DESJARLAIS: And 100% of those proceeds from the auctions will go towards the construction of this school.
NINA MOINI: All right, Danny, thank you so much for coming by Minnesota Now and sharing with us your work. Really appreciate your time.
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Yes. Thank you so much.
NINA MOINI: Danny Desjarlais is the Industrial Hemp Construction Project Manager for the Lower Sioux Indian Community.
The tribe's innovation has led them to host the 13th International Hemp Building Symposium this weekend. It's the first time ever the conference has been held in the United States. Joining me now to talk about the symposium and the work of the Lower Sioux Community is Danny Desjarlais. He's the Industrial Hemp Construction Project Manager for the tribe and a member of the Lower Sioux Indian Community. Thanks for your time this afternoon, Danny.
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Yeah, thanks for having me.
NINA MOINI: You know what's so interesting about hemp is that a lot of people haven't heard about it, but it's been around for thousands of years, as a building material. Would you tell me a little bit about just how it works, how hemp turns into this useful tool?
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Yeah. So what we use in the hemp plant is just the inside of the stem. And so we break it down. It almost looks like wood chips when we're done processing it. And we mix that with a lime-based binder and water. And it just replaces all of the toxic materials you would typically insulate your home with. You still have to frame your house conventionally, and then hempcrete replaces all of the other bad stuff, if you will.
NINA MOINI: How did you first get involved with working with hemp?
DANNY DESJARLAIS: So the tribe has been on the hemp venture for well over a decade now. But I got brought in three or four years ago, when we started really looking into the building side of things.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. And so what does that look like, looking into the building side? Was it establishing which materials and the framing, like you were talking about? How did that get off the ground?
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Well, we had to bring consultants in from Massachusetts. We've worked with consultants from France, and Pennsylvania, and Texas. And so it was a bit of a learning experience at first with these consultants. And then it was just kind of learning what method would work best for us. And so we've done some projects with basically every method of install that you can do with hempcrete, just trying to learn what works best for us and what's the most practical, I guess, for here at the Lower Sioux.
NINA MOINI: What's the building rate, I wonder, for a house with hempcrete? And how many have you built so far in the past few years?
DANNY DESJARLAIS: So we have five buildings out of hempcrete here on the reservation. And then we've been a part of projects also off of the reservation. But the rate, you can get the house done at the same speed as any type of construction. So that's nothing. It's just the longevity of these homes are going to outlast a conventional construction. Typically, right now, the way it goes is, the next generation of people either have to renovate these homes, or there's always something to fix up and do on a home, whereas these will last much longer. And so you're not handing down that issue to the next generations. So that's our drive with this.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, and really, this was about you saw a need for more housing, and you thought, how can we get creative? Where's the need that you were seeing?
DANNY DESJARLAIS: So actually, the most recent HUD numbers just from last year, it says that we need 196 homes here in our small community. So we don't have homeless people out on the streets or anything. But it's just a lot of overcrowding. And we just don't have enough homes for the people that need them.
NINA MOINI: And I understand you're also working with other farmers to try to keep that supply up.
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Yeah. So we have a real small acreage of tillable land here. And so we're going to have to rely on the surrounding farmers to get on board with this as well. And I think it will open the doors for other farmers to have their own processing equipment because we really need quite a few of these facilities around the state. We can't get by with just the few that we have right now.
NINA MOINI: How is that going, partnering up with other farmers? You're looking for more people, I would assume.
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Yeah. We're always looking to partner. But we also have to upgrade our processing facility. And so the equipment we have is an entry-level system. And so now, we're looking to upgrade that, now that there is the interest from other farmers because if we're going to take on more acreage, we're going to have to have bigger and better equipment as well. So we're kind of growing alongside the industry, but also with our local economy too.
NINA MOINI: And I understand it can be hard. Is it harder to get building permits when you're using hemp?
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Yeah, so leading up to this, it very much is-- not on the reservation. We can create our own building codes. And so that's how we've been able to get through all of that red tape and not have to wait for building permits. But for as far as projects off of the reservation, we've actually had people in Minneapolis and St. Paul and other suburbs that have reached out to us and want to build, but they're not able to get their building permit.
And so a few architects in Minneapolis got together, and they started trying to go for a code change adoption, I think, is what the formal thing was. We went through with it. They went and testified in July. I think July 15 was the final time we went and testified in the state of Minnesota, actually. The Tag group-- it's the Department of Labor and Industry that gets to decide. They approved it on to the next level. They approved the code change proposal.
And so now, basically, the heavy lifting part of it is done. And so now, if the state signs off on it and stamps it, then anybody can build with hempcrete in the state of Minnesota. And we're actually the first state in the country to move that far along with it. And so hempcrete it only got adopted into the International Residential Code as of March 18 of last year. So everything's real new here in the United States.
NINA MOINI: It's really new. And obviously, your work in the state has stood out because the symposium is coming here this weekend. What does that mean to you, to have this community chosen?
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Oh, yeah. It's a real honor. I've always wanted to go and go to one of these events. I think last year, it was in Sweden. And previous years, it's been in France and Amsterdam, and all over the place. But to have it come to the United States for the first time, and to be right here at the Lower Sioux, yeah, it's a very big honor. And I'm actually really excited to learn from all of these people that are coming to speak because they've been doing this for decades in Europe and other countries.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, sharing of ideas, that's so cool. And I understand, it's also a fundraiser of sorts for Lower Sioux. Tell me about that.
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Yeah, so we're actually trying to build a new school here. And so the Dakota language is on the brink of extinction, basically. There's only a less than a handful of first language Dakota speakers left. And so we have a school right now that takes the kids from birth and teaches them Dakota language. It's an immersion school. And so we're looking to build an actual school for them and expand it all the way up until older grades as well. And so half of the proceeds from the symposium go towards the construction of this school. And then we also have a silent auction going on and then a live auction planned for Saturday night that will be hosted by Dallas Goldtooth from the show Reservation Dogs.
NINA MOINI: Cool.
DANNY DESJARLAIS: And 100% of those proceeds from the auctions will go towards the construction of this school.
NINA MOINI: All right, Danny, thank you so much for coming by Minnesota Now and sharing with us your work. Really appreciate your time.
DANNY DESJARLAIS: Yes. Thank you so much.
NINA MOINI: Danny Desjarlais is the Industrial Hemp Construction Project Manager for the Lower Sioux Indian Community.
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