When nature leads the blueprint, your house becomes a healing technology.
But First, London
After we discovered Portugal, Greg and I moved to London for three years. Living in London was on my vision board and it was a dream come true to spend more time there. We moved around a lot before settling into our own home. And I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to all our friends who tolerated us along the way, we will forever be grateful to have shared your space and be in your company.
Living in London, we walked everywhere. We visited our weekly farmers markets and made most of our meals. We joined one of the best gyms in Notting Hill and worked out religiously. I even started running in Hyde Park while Greg used to do his parachute hammock workouts on a tree. Twice a week I’d cycle at Psycle in Oxford Circus and it was incredible. We were literally living our best lives. One day I walk into my closet and noticed that some of my shoes were covered in mold. What in the world?!
Here Comes the Mold
I called Greg into the room and when we started to look into it we uncovered a wall of mold hidden behind wood. Knowing what I know about mold this was a big trigger for me especially having a functional, integrative medical practice in Washington, D.C. where we’ve been treating mold and its horrific side effects. Mold is not something I can tolerate. So we took a good look at each other and we had a serious conversation, “Is this it? Is this how we want to spend our time living in moldy concrete jungle?” The answer was clear, powerful and loud “No.”
We gave our notice, packed everything up, put it in storage and bought flights to Portugal. We were on a mission to find our home.
When Greg and I first met… on Skype, we met through an organization that was building self-sustainable communities all over the world in a way that uses sacred geometry and in ways that are harmonious and resonant with nature and the environment. It was revolutionary. At the time he was their global networking director traveling the world meeting some of the most incredible scientists and specialists all over the world. We knew we were looking to create something of our own based off the same principles and we made a list of our non-negotiables.
We also watched the Big Short, a movie about the financial crash in 2008 and knew that water was going to be the biggest commodity in the future so having land with water was a non-negotiable for us. If you want to read more about the details of us finding our home, check out my blog, The Seven Year Build with God.
Fast-Forward To Construction Time
Greg was relentless about building our home sustainably with hemp. He was on a mission to find mentors that can help us hemp our nearly 10,000 square foot home. Given our top priority to build in a way that will leave us feeling healthy, I trusted the process to unfold. Most importantly, I trust Greg and his vision. He found a guy in Switzerland who was doing exactly what Greg was dreaming about and hired him to come to Portugal and teach our whole construction team to build with hemp material.
“What if your home could breathe? What if the very walls you lived within didn’t just protect you — but healed you?”
Although building in hemp for the first time was a novel thing for us, which came with its own challenges and a steep learning curve, it was worth the wait. Hemp takes time, it’s not a fast process like building in concrete. When we come from a hustle culture that lives by the motto “time is money” we build in concrete and suffer the consequences. We chose differently. In a world of synthetic quick fixes and mass-produced structures, we chose a different path. We chose quality over quantity and applied the “good things take time” program instead. With our own hands, and the help of many others, we built our home – layer by layer – from the bottom up. The impossible became possible.
And we didn’t just build a house.
We built a temple.
Okay Izzy, why did you build in hemp? Break it down for me.
Hempcrete is made up of hemp hurds, lime, and marble dust. It is used for insulation and wall systems, not as structural material, we used timber and stone for our main structural support. When we bought our house it was a shell – a structure comprised of 3-foot granite walls on two floors with a court yard. There are a million reasons why we built with hemp. Check them out.
Benefits of Building with Hempcrete
- Carbon Sequestration – Hempcrete absorbs more CO2 than it emits in its lifecycle. Hemp plants grow rapidly, pulling carbon from the atmosphere. Th lime binder continues to carbonate over time, locking in CO2 – making the building more carbon-negative with age.
- Durability That Improves Over Time – Hempcrete hardens over decades as it continues to absorb CO₂. It doesn’t rot or degrade like wood, nor does it crack like cement. It gets stronger, not weaker with time — like wine or sacred stone.
- Superior Indoor Air Quality – Hempcrete regulates humidity, which prevents mold and bacterial growth. It “breathes,” unlike synthetic insulations, so it filters air and maintains a stable indoor environment. Hempcrete has no off-gassing of toxic chemicals (like VOCs in conventional drywall or insulation).
- Thermal Regulation – Hempcrete acts as both insulation and thermal mass, it keeps interiors cool in hot climates and warm in cold ones. It also reduces the need for heating and cooling systems – lowering energy bills. If you live in Europe, you know this is a big deal because energy is so expensive.
- Mold & Pest Resistant – Naturally resistant to mold, mildew, termites, and rodents due to the alkaline lime content. Ideal for people with allergies, chronic respiratory issues, or mold sensitivities.
- Acoustic Performance – Hempcrete offers excellent sound insulation — absorbs echo and outside noise.
- Non-Toxic and Biodegradable – It’s 100% natural and non-toxic from start to finish. At end-of-life, hempcrete is biodegradable — no landfill waste or chemical pollution.
- Fire Resistant – Hempcrete is naturally fire-resistant due to its high lime content, offering excellent protection without the need for toxic chemical flame retardants.
- Sustainable Growth and Scalability – Hemp requires no pesticides, grows fast, and improves soil. It can be locally sourced in many regions — reducing transportation emissions. It’s a solution to the housing crisis and the climate crisis — it’s scalable and regenerative.
Hemp Is A Hero
I feel hemp is a molecule of God – in the symbolic, spiritual, and biological sense, hemp embodies divine intelligence in physical form. Many ancient cultures regarded plants as spiritual allies. Hemp, with its extraordinary properties, kind of has a primordial blueprint, as if it was created with intention… for this time.
- It heals. Hemp regenerates soil, filters toxins, cleans the air, and restores balance to the body.
- It protects. Antimicrobial, anti-fungal, breathable, and naturally fire-resistant—its essence is sanctuary.
- It remembers. With roots that reach deep and fibers that hold strong, it connects us to Earth and to Source.
- It sustains. From construction to clothing, food to medicine—hemp offers humanity a path back to harmony.
Fun Fact: In 1941, Henry Ford unveiled a car made from hemp-based bioplastic that was lighter, stronger, and more impact-resistant than steel — but production was halted, largely due to industrial lobbying and the criminalization of hemp, despite its unmatched durability and sustainability.
Life could be so different had we made better choices.
Not Just a Home — A Living Prayer
Our home vibrates differently. You can feel it the moment you step inside. Most modern homes are made with materials that off-gas, trap mold, and disrupt energy flow. Not a home built of hemp – it heals. It breathes, supports and nourishes. It’s not just a place to live – it’s a place to come back to yourself.
In my mind’s eye – this is the future of living that I hold as a vision for those who dare. This is one big way that we can leave Earth a better place for all generations to come. Building in hemp is how we revolutionize the entire construction industry. Building this way is more than a trend—it’s a return. A reawakening. A new but ancient blueprint for how we live, how we build, how we honor the Earth, and how we communicate with our environment.
Full transparency – the process of building in hemp is not always easy. It takes time and it takes devotion.
But what you create becomes alive.
And when you live in a space made of intention, nature, and your own hands— You remember who you are.
For more information you can check out Hemp Eco Systems and Hempitecture.
