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Posted On: 05/05/2021 5:50:44 PM
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420 with CNW — How the Cannabis Industry Can Be More Sustainable
A casual look at the cannabis industry will reveal that the sector uses a lot of energy in grow rooms — so is the industry doomed to continue operating in ways that aren’t sustainable? Not at all — several ways are available to “green up” this sector as discussed below.
Switch to sustainable agricultural practices
One sustainable practice is installing a recirculation system for the water used in grow rooms. Such a system would not only capture but also treat any water that would have otherwise been lost as plants are irrigated. Lightshade, a Colorado-based integrated cannabis company, is already doing this, and company officials report they have trimmed their annual water requirement by 1.2 million gallons.
Switching to LED lighting or using a combination of sunlight and HPS lighting can reduce the energy bill significantly as Lost Coast, another Colorado-based marijuana company, will attest.
Cutting back on the use of pesticides and other synthetic agrochemicals will also protect waterways and land from the adverse effects of those chemicals. Growing cannabis organically through enriching soil health reduces cultivation costs while yielding superior products.
Opt for eco-friendly packaging
Each jurisdiction has its own cannabis rules that require the use of RFID tags, security bags and other such packaging restrictions. However, the rules aren’t an excuse to do things in a nonsustainable way, and cannabis companies can opt for sustainable packaging. This includes hemp plastics, glass containers or recycled plastic products.
Why not ask customers to return empty containers once they have used up the cannabis they bought? This will allow those containers to be reused rather than finding their way into landfills. Returning used containers to retailers provides a way for companies to ensure that materials that are recyclable are sent to the appropriate recycling facilities.
Look into sourcing alternative materials
Instead of cannabis users buying isopropyl alcohol to clean bowls and glass pipes, why not switch to a device that covers a pipe’s mouthpiece, thereby filtering out any germs that would have been transmitted to different users indulging as a group?
Moose Labs made such a device, dubbed MouthPeace, long before the pandemic was here, and vendors can be engaged in developing other such alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of cannabis manufacturing or consumption.
As consumers become increasingly aware of the need to buy cannabis products that are sustainably grown, processed and packaged, going green will yield an even bigger financial dividend for operators who adopt these practices.
A number of companies, including the Chalice brands of Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. (CSE: GLH) (OTCQB: GLDFF), have embraced organic cannabis cultivation, which shows that there is already movement towards sustainability in the industry.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. (CSE: GLH) (OTCQB: GLDFF) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/GLDFF
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW420, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer
A casual look at the cannabis industry will reveal that the sector uses a lot of energy in grow rooms — so is the industry doomed to continue operating in ways that aren’t sustainable? Not at all — several ways are available to “green up” this sector as discussed below.
Switch to sustainable agricultural practices
One sustainable practice is installing a recirculation system for the water used in grow rooms. Such a system would not only capture but also treat any water that would have otherwise been lost as plants are irrigated. Lightshade, a Colorado-based integrated cannabis company, is already doing this, and company officials report they have trimmed their annual water requirement by 1.2 million gallons.
Switching to LED lighting or using a combination of sunlight and HPS lighting can reduce the energy bill significantly as Lost Coast, another Colorado-based marijuana company, will attest.
Cutting back on the use of pesticides and other synthetic agrochemicals will also protect waterways and land from the adverse effects of those chemicals. Growing cannabis organically through enriching soil health reduces cultivation costs while yielding superior products.
Opt for eco-friendly packaging
Each jurisdiction has its own cannabis rules that require the use of RFID tags, security bags and other such packaging restrictions. However, the rules aren’t an excuse to do things in a nonsustainable way, and cannabis companies can opt for sustainable packaging. This includes hemp plastics, glass containers or recycled plastic products.
Why not ask customers to return empty containers once they have used up the cannabis they bought? This will allow those containers to be reused rather than finding their way into landfills. Returning used containers to retailers provides a way for companies to ensure that materials that are recyclable are sent to the appropriate recycling facilities.
Look into sourcing alternative materials
Instead of cannabis users buying isopropyl alcohol to clean bowls and glass pipes, why not switch to a device that covers a pipe’s mouthpiece, thereby filtering out any germs that would have been transmitted to different users indulging as a group?
Moose Labs made such a device, dubbed MouthPeace, long before the pandemic was here, and vendors can be engaged in developing other such alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of cannabis manufacturing or consumption.
As consumers become increasingly aware of the need to buy cannabis products that are sustainably grown, processed and packaged, going green will yield an even bigger financial dividend for operators who adopt these practices.
A number of companies, including the Chalice brands of Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. (CSE: GLH) (OTCQB: GLDFF), have embraced organic cannabis cultivation, which shows that there is already movement towards sustainability in the industry.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. (CSE: GLH) (OTCQB: GLDFF) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/GLDFF
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW420, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer
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