(This is the second installment in a series examining sustainability in cannabis cultivation. Read Part 1 here and Part 3 here)
Environmental sustainability in cannabis cultivation operations sounds nice in marketing material, but in practice, marijuana growers need to turn a profit to keep their companies alive.
So how can a cannabis grower do both?
“Balancing the health of the pocketbook with the health of the planet is a step that all cannabis facilities should consider regardless of their own worldviews, because it just makes sense,” said Av Singh, cultivation expert at Nova Scotia-based Flemming & Singh Cannabis.
Three key areas to consider when thinking about improving a cannabis operation’s impact on the environment are:
- How to add financially viable sustainability.
- How to work sustainability into a business plan.
- How to ensure a return on a sustainability investment.
To gain some advice and insights, MJBizDaily spoke with three cultivation experts.
Here are their thoughts.
- 1. How to add financially viable sustainability.
Singh recommends growers start with a “trash inventory” to take stock of what is lost to the landfill.
“When you find that the majority of your waste is in rockwool or coco blocks or it’s in foot covers and pesticides, or that most of your money is being spent on electricity or water – you now have real information which you can act on for some more cost-effective and sustainable solutions,” he said.
For example, foot covers are not costly, but they add trash.
Instead of assuming that foot covers are the only way to minimize pathogens, do an environmental scan and test where pathogens are truly a problem, Singh added.
“Sustainable business practices and profitable businesses are not necessarily mutually exclusive,” said David Kessler, chief science officer of Billerica, Massachusetts-based Agrify Corp., which makes hardware and software for indoor cannabis cultivators.
“Making choices based on sustainability can often lead to a more successful enterprise.”
Kessler recommended growers looking to improve sustainability focus on the following areas:
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Excerpt only …
Link to Original Article Below
By Bart Schaneman, Editor
January 26, 2022 - Updated January 26, 2022
Photo Credit:
- Cannabis cultivators must consider the price of HVAC and lighting systems when designing their grow rooms with sustainability in mind. MJBizDaily
Source : MJBizDaily
Link to original : 3 tips for making a cannabis grow operation sustainable without breaking the bank
