MJBizMag August 2021 - 8

FromtheEditor | Kate Lavin
Hot in Here
A
s some of the first states to legalize recreational
cannabis, Oregon and Washington are darlings of
the marijuana industry. Several of the most forwardthinking
cannabis companies call those markets home.
But in late June, the news from these states was something
no one predicted: Temperatures hit 113 degrees
Fahrenheit in Portland, Oregon, and 108 degrees in
Seattle-35 degrees above the average highs for that time
of year.
Scientists have been warning about climate change for
decades, but as the recent Northwest heat wave showed,
global warming is no longer a mere threat. Climate change
has arrived, and it's here even sooner than we expected.
Energy Use and Climate Change
Energy production is the second-largest creator of carbon
emissions on Earth. The practice earns this dubious
distinction because fossil fuels such as coal are used
to create the majority of power available to consumers,
including 60% of the energy offered by U.S. utility companies.
Studies have shown that indoor-grown marijuana is one
of the most energy-intensive agricultural crops to produce.
The high-pressure sodium lights that have been common
in agriculture for decades create so much heat that a
domino effect of energy use is needed to keep plants and
employees cool.
But it doesn't have to be this way.
Solving the Climate Crisis
Our cover story this month includes interviews with hemp
and marijuana executives employing environmentally friendly
tactics to produce cannabis. While some of them have
adopted outdoor cultivation techniques such as dry farming
and regenerative growing to save water and use little to no
power from the utility grid, others have found creative ways to
turn down the energy dial.
Colorado-based Terrapin Care Station is one of 12
marijuana companies that joined an energy program created
by utility giant Xcel and energy consultants Resource
Innovations and Cascade Energy. Representatives from the
consulting firms audited the business, identified specific
ways the company could use less power and recommended
energy-saving equipment as well as the utility rebates to help
pay for it.
Terrapin also employed Jack's Solar Garden, a community
farm that combines solar installations and agriculture
in Longmont, Colorado, to furnish 25% of its energy needs.
Somerset, Massachusetts-based Solar Therapeutics
went one step further and created its own power grid
8 MJBizMagazine | August 2021
after the company's local utility said the circuit it planned
to use would need a two-year, $2 million repair. Using a
combination of solar panels and cogeneration units, the
business was able to get its power needs met much faster
and with a higher degree of efficiency.
" We're now a registered power plant, " Ed Dow, CEO of
Solar Therapeutics, told MJBizMagazine.
Action Items
A sense of community and innovation have made it possible
for marijuana farmers to outmaneuver parties that wished to
banish the plant. By turning that entrepreneurial spirit to the
creation of clean energy, the cannabis industry can make
good on its promise to heal the world. Turn to page 38 to
read about the tactics your peers are adopting to achieve
that goal.
Sincerely,
Kate Lavin
MJBizMagazine editor
MJBizMag August 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MJBizMag August 2021
