Sun+Earth Certified’s East Fork Cultivars is devoted to the development and preservation of … [+]
The environmental benefits of hemp are legion. But the legal cannabis industry has a terrible carbon footprint. It turns out that the joint you smoked last night took a lot of energy to grow, especially if grown indoors. Then it went into a plastic package, which took energy to make. Then it was put into a truck, which burned fossil fuels in transport, and then into a retail store or delivery vehicle that uses still more energy. Even the lighter you used to spark it up is probably burning the bad stuff. After all of that, only then does the ganja get into your loving lungs. But where is the love for the planet along the way?
Welcome to Weed Like Change, a campaign designed to offer a more sustainable vision for the way our joints get smoked so our planet doesn’t. Organized by a collection of Sun+Earth-certified, organic cannabis farms in California and Oregon — East Fork Cultivars, Eel River Organics, HappyDay Farms, Green Sources Gardens to name a few — the campaign seeks to raise consumer awareness to increase the sales of sun-grown regenerative cannabis. Regenerative farming of cannabis is the cleanest and most planet-loving way to cultivate. Farmers are beginning to join forces, hone in their messaging, and educate consumers so the stoners of the world can feel good about every toke.
East Fork Cultivars is a part of Sun+Earth’s regenerative cannabis community.
A number of dispensaries in California and Oregon are currently driving the campaign forward by carrying Weed Like Change farms on the shelves. One such dispensary is 7 Stars in Richmond, California. “Weed Like Change is bringing attention to a group of cannabis producers that care about what you put in your body, as well as how cannabis impacts nature and society,” said owner Zee Handoush. “We are proud to support that effort.”
Not only can consumers play an outsized role in demanding clean cannabis, they also help these farmers survive. The weed these folks cultivate is some of the best in the world, but the threat of going under grows by the day. Times are tough.
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Small, independent growers are on the verge of extinction in California, as they continue to get squeezed out by bad public policy (high taxes and regulations) and large-scale industrial cultivation (flooding the market with cheap weed), which is not grown in a sustainable way at all.
„Small-scale, legacy cannabis farmers fear they are at risk of extinction,” said David Bronner, cosmic engagement officer of Dr. Bronner’s. “To keep these farmers in business, as well as for the broader health of people and the planet, it’s imperative for cannabis consumers to choose sun-grown, regenerative, organic cannabis.”
It may be challenging to imagine the difference buying the right bag of weed can make. It’s often easier to go with the big name or the flashy branding or the celebrity endorsement. Weed Like Change seeks to break this cycle by calling on stoners to fight for what is right for the planet and for their own consumption. It’s a call to action for consumers to use their dollars to make a meaningful difference in the entire supply chain.
East Fork Cultivars develops and preserves sustainable, sun-grown farming methods.
As activists and successful entrepreneurs like Bronner tell the story of legacy cannabis as being the origin of all legal cannabis, more mainstream weed companies are starting to get with the program. I’m starting to see larger companies talking about and helping create space for legacy farmers and social equity folks, too. These organizations are bravely embracing a set of values based on sharing and supporting rather than dominating and acquiring.
One such company is Nabis distribution in California. “We believe in supporting a diverse group of operators, cultivators, and brands in the space,” said Jen Seo, Nabis’ director of marketing. “From our participation in the Weed Like Change campaign, as a cannabis wholesale platform, we can help bring exposure to multi-generational farmers that implement environmentally friendly practices and advocate a cause that provides education and value to consumers on the benefits of supporting small-craft farmers.”
The story of sun-grown regenerative cannabis farming is just getting started. The community is getting its act together. Weed Like Change is a collaboration of 22 farms, three manufacturers, and 34 dispensaries in two states. A film is in the works to shout the sustainable gospel from the mountain tops. I have no doubt that the world will be hearing a lot more about sun-grown regenerative cannabis, as the carbon footprint of this industry continues to grow out of control. I am enormously confident that the consumers of tomorrow will demand more and more sustainable weed. Supporting Weed Like Change today is a great place to start.