With sales of legal cannabis expected to more than double by 2030, producers of the nation’s sixth-most valuable crop have a problem: Cannabis has a substantial environmental footprint.
Growing cannabis requires massive water and energy resources while contributing to air, land and water pollution and soil damage.
Indoor grow houses allow farmers to govern the lifecycle of cannabis using artificial lighting and climate control, which enables rapid turnaround for sometimes dozens of harvests each year.
For some growers, the cutting edge of sustainability in cannabis has moved toward energy generation.
To survive the second decade of recreational legalization, cannabis farmers will have to be as resilient as the plants they cultivate.
Weren’t these issues largely solved with hydroponics?
Requires chemical nutrients. The farmer is biodynamic so “organic” or living soil in their techniques most likely. They are also trying to be plastic free to add further complexity.
Ah, that makes sense.
