{"id":1289,"date":"2021-09-23T15:14:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-23T15:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=178419"},"modified":"2021-09-23T15:14:00","modified_gmt":"2021-09-23T15:14:00","slug":"where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=1289","title":{"rendered":"Where is growing weed most environmentally sound?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>Where is growing weed most environmentally sound? &#8211; Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. 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You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">On The Game\u2019s track \u201cCalifornia Vacation,\u201d Snoop Dogg proclaims, \u201cWe grow the best weed on the West Coast,\u201d and, while I may be biased, I absolutely agree. Still, there\u2019s more to cannabis than quality. Researchers investigating the impact of indoor growing upon the environment side with Snoop, the most sustainable place to grow indoor cannabis is in the LBC.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41893-021-00691-w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recent study published in Nature<\/a> is the first of its kind to attempt to quantify greenhouse gas emissions across the US caused by growing cannabis <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/learn\/cannabis-glossary\/indoor\">indoors<\/a>. The study found that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>on average, growing a gram of cannabis inside a commercial grow produces as much greenhouse gas as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/greenvehicles\/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle\">driving a car<\/a> for nine miles.<\/li>\n<li>Out of a pool of 1,011 cities modeled by researchers at Colorado State University, the location with the least greenhouse gas emissions from indoor cannabis cultivation was <strong>Long Beach, CA<\/strong>, where growing <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/growing-cannabis-indoors-produces-a-lot-of-greenhouse-gases-just-how-much-depends-on-where-its-grown-156486\">an ounce produces 143 pounds of carbon dioxide<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>The city with the highest emissions was <strong>Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii<\/strong>, where producing the same amount of indoor cannabis results in 324 pounds of CO2, a stat that\u2019s roughly equivalent to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engineeringtoolbox.com\/co2-emission-fuels-d_1085.html\">burning 16 gallons of gasoline.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"h-grow-where-it-s-temperate\">Grow where it\u2019s temperate<\/h2>\n<p>The Nature study is based on a new model of indoor grow inputs and outputs from Ph.D. student Hailey Summers in CSU\u2019s School of Global Environmental Sustainability.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe built a model from the ground up that models commercial cannabis energy needs and material needs,\u201d says Summers, a graduate student studying mechanical engineering. \u201cSo how much water does a commercial facility generally need, how many fertilizers, what types and then also a full HVAC system.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"522\" alt=\"Clean grids equal clean green in Long Beach, CA and New York. (Colorado State University 2021)\" class=\"wp-image-178422 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Clean grids equal clean green in Long Beach, CA and New York. (Colorado State University 2021)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-humulene-background-color has-background\">One fun element of the research comes in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/webappviewer\/index.html?id=f47100de3f6b46bb9aebf8dc52d957bf&amp;extent=-18880993.9285%2C2754896.1724%2C-8069740.6478%2C10092850.8878%2C102100\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">interactive map<\/a> that allows people to plug in their county to see how it fares against others. For example, Pueblo, Colorado, which is already home to a unique outdoor grow dedicated to zero carbon emissions called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/industry\/colorados-top-cbg-grower-just-happens-to-be-blind\">Pot Zero<\/a>, has fewer indoor emissions than mountainous locations such as Aspen.<\/p>\n<p>The report shows in Colorado, the greenhouse gas emissions from the commercial cannabis industry are on par with other sectors such as coal mining and trash collection, sitting at about 1.3% of the state\u2019s annual emissions total. Many Colorado cities ban outdoor pot-growing, and it takes a ton of energy to keep the plants happy in a controlled indoor environment. Growers in harsh, cold places such as Colorado and states in the Midwest, expend way more electricity optimizing the temperature and humidity of the indoor environment than growers in more temperate coastal climates, places like California and Washington state. That means that the best spots to grow outdoor weed are generally the best places to grow indoors.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote is-style-solid-color\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe findings were pretty substantial and higher than we thought,\u201d<\/p>\n<p><cite>Hailey Summers, Colorado State University, Ph.D. student<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Air temperature plays an essential role in how well plants can absorb CO2, an integral component of photosynthesis, but also the primary driver of global climate change. A good temperature for growing marijuana, according to cannabis horticulture authority Ed Rosenthal, is between 70 and 85\u00b0F (21-29\u00b0C). Ideal temperatures in indoor grows fluctuate within that range depending on what stage of growth the plant is in. The optimal humidity levels also vary alongside the plant\u2019s growth process going lower than 50%, for example, in the last stages of flowering to prevent mold.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/strains-products\/excellent-sustainable-pot-2021\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>10 badass sustainable cannabis flowers, joints, hash, and more<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Plants need fresh air to grow and in indoor cannabis operations, that air is pulled from the outside and then brought to an optimal temperature and humidity. As the study shows, due to the power used by indoor growers for HVAC (heating, air conditioning, ventilation, dehumidifiers), the average for indoor commercial cannabis growers fluctuating the volumetric air changes per hour (ACH) is 30 ACH. That figure is much higher than the recommended ventilation for homes (.35) and even hospitals which require a minimum of 15 ACH.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img width=\"300\" height=\"300\" alt=\"Mechanical engineering Ph.D. student Hailey Summers (Colorado State University)\" class=\"wp-image-178423 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Mechanical engineering Ph.D. student Hailey Summers (Colorado State University)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe findings were pretty substantial and higher than we thought,\u201d said Summers. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to shut down the industry. That\u2019s not the point. The point is just to say this is a rapidly emerging industry, it\u2019s not going anywhere anytime soon and in the good spirit of climate change, this is an industry that really should be taking note before we get intrinsically stuck in these sorts of bad practices. We need to focus on how we can do this in a sustainable manner.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Grow on a cleaner grid<\/h2>\n<p>Beyond the environmental tolls of regulating the weather, the study showed that another component of growing indoor cannabis with the lowest possible carbon footprint comes down to how \u201cclean\u201d the power grid is. In other words, how many renewable energy sources (solar, wind, hydro) generate electricity versus how many \u201cdirty\u201d nonrenewable sources (coal, oil, nuclear power). This secondary analysis put New York, which has a relatively clean power grid, high on the list of lowest emissions. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"American-assembled in Boulder, CO\u2014Black Dog LED lights are in high demand. (David Downs\/Leafly)\" class=\"wp-image-161609 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>LED grow lights use less power and make less heat. (David Downs\/Leafly)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Using averages on growing data points, the study discloses the best and worst places to cultivate indoor cannabis. It looks at every state via hypothetical results generated by a computer model that took into account inputs such as HPS lights and, the main culprit for carbon emissions no matter where researchers were looking, the HVAC systems. Lights were the second-highest variable to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and the research also included additional factors such as the supplemental use of CO2.<\/p>\n<h2>Grow marijuana in the sun<\/h2>\n<p>While acknowledging the hurdles to undertake, the study speculates that shifting from indoor grows to outdoor could reduce greenhouse gas emissions up to 96%. A switch to greenhouse growing could also reduce emissions to 46%. As for potential solutions, the report highlights conservation efforts like a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.laweekly.com\/new-led-mandate-would-devastate-california-cannabis-quality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">controversial California proposal<\/a> to mandate growers use <a href=\"https:\/\/mcusercontent.com\/95bdd5f30210b401ea767d1d5\/files\/ae85f609-d600-4ad0-adfb-a1960870ab97\/LED_CEC_REPORT.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">more efficient LED lights <\/a>by 2023 and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilga.gov\/legislation\/publicacts\/101\/101-0027.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">law in Illinois<\/a> that limits light intensity and calls for high-efficiency HVAC equipment. It also alludes to one major fix, federal cannabis legalization, that might allow for indoor cannabis to be grown in lower elevations and transported across the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to have the ability to control and deliver a consistent quality product for certain types of consumables, so indoor can\u2019t completely disappear,\u201d Summers says. \u201cBut you can do other things like if you\u2019re growing for extracting THC and your primary goal is to get high THC quantity and the visual aesthetics of the product doesn\u2019t quite matter you can grow that product outside. Again, you can push it to the coasts where the plants grow naturally in that climate and then transport it across state lines.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" alt class=\"wp-image-178424 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-4.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-4.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-4.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound-4.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Tasty, terpy outdoor Squirt finishes under the Northern California sun. (David Downs\/Leafly)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One would anticipate pushback from indoor cannabis growers not agreeing with the report\u2019s analysis, but Summers says she hasn\u2019t received much negative response. Her brother told her she might want to read a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/science\/comments\/m1v1pf\/cannabis_production_is_generating_large_amounts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Reddit thread with over 3,000 comments<\/a>. Blame, she says, could be pointed at any number of places including policymakers or the energy sector.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/industry\/ways-to-make-cannabis-more-environmentally-friendly\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>4 ways to make cannabis more environmentally friendly<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of moving parts here,\u201d Summers says. \u201cIt\u2019s not as black and white as well, your carbon footprint is bad so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound.jpg\" alt=\"Ellen Holland's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Ellen Holland<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Ellen Holland is an Oakland-based journalist who has written about cannabis since 2013. A former senior editor at Cannabis Now magazine, her new book &#8220;Weed: A Connoisseur&#8217;s Guide&#8221; debuts in October.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/ellen-holland\">View Ellen Holland&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-09-23 16:16:48 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Where is growing weed most environmentally sound? &#8211; Leafly Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. On The Game\u2019s track \u201cCalifornia Vacation,\u201d Snoop Dogg proclaims, \u201cWe grow the best weed on the West Coast,\u201d and, while I may be biased, I absolutely agree. Still, there\u2019s more to cannabis than quality. Researchers investigating the impact of indoor growing upon the environment&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/where-is-growing-weed-most-environmentally-sound.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1289\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}