007: Cannabis Has A Carbon Problem. Here’s How We Can Fix It.

Image credit: Graphic by Gerd Altmann via Pixabay; used under free license for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

While the leafy green color of the cannabis plant may bring a mental association with green energy programs, the opposite is true: cannabis has a carbon problem. Across America, cannabis cultivation constitutes over 1% of the total electricity use, and in states like California, this number is as high as 3%.

But not all is lost. Smart design choices can be made to limit the environmental impact of cannabis cultivation. The industry is booming, and cultivators can make decisions today to ensure that it grows in a sustainable way.

In this blog, we explore the environmental impact that cannabis has in its budding infancy, and what strategies can be used to keep growth high and carbon low.

What Is The Cannabis Carbon Problem?

In a paper published in Oil and Gas, Natural Resources, and Energy Journal by Spencer Gill of University of Oklahoma College, “the rising popularity of marijuana ranks it among the fastest growing industries in the United States, yet marijuana is also one of the most energy-intensive crops to grow.” The conditions required to grow cannabis indoors and in greenhouses involve heavy usage of artificial lighting, fans,HVAC systems, and water to create a marketable crop.

While the obvious solution to this problem might initially seem to be outdoor cultivation, this too can have serious environmental ramifications. First, outdoor cultivation facilities are only feasible in specific environments, meaning that it is only a regional solution to the problem of cannabis carbon emissions rather than a national one. Cultivating land for this type of growing operation can result in extensive environmental degradation, destroying wildlife habitats and introducing pesticides that can be harmful not only to consumers but plants and animals as well. Additionally, these pesticides can leak into and contaminate water sources.

It may seem as if there are no good alternatives to the growing demand for cannabis, yet plenty of options are still on the table. With legislation around cannabis grow, possession, and consumption still in flux around the country, policymakers will likely have to make decisions around incentivizing or disincentivizing certain growing practices. More, eco-friendly cannabis growing isn’t a plan for the future: it’s already here.

Eco-Friendly Cannabis Architecture

Indoor grow is the most environmentally taxing cannabis cultivation method currently available. While the strains from this particular type of grow house can be created with extreme precision to create a more consistent product year-round, it expends between 50-90% more energy than a greenhouse grow.

Some designers, like Ceres Greenhouse Solutions, have begun designing hybrid greenhouses that can function in any environment while mitigating greenhouse emissions to new lows. By taking energy-intensive systems that are required for cannabis growth and replacing them with cutting-edge design, hybrid greenhouses can use the Earth as a battery, providing the consistency of an indoor grow with less energy usage than a traditional greenhouse grow.

This involves systems such as:

Geothermal Energy Transfer: Traditional HVAC systems and dehumidifying systems are energy hogs, yet are essential for cannabis growth. Replacing these with systems like ground source heat pumps and ground loops uses residual heat in a growhouse and pumps it into the ground, providing temperature-controlled heating or cooling depending on the season.

Predictive Temperature and Humidity Regulation: Adjusting temperature and humidity manually can lead to both human error as well as inefficiencies. By using software that automatically regulates these variables based on weather forecasts, as well as fogging systems that can change the thermodynamics in a growhouse, these adjustments can be made with little outside input.

Passive Solar Design: Site location is just as important as the machines that help operate a hybrid growhouse. When a hybrid growhouse is placed in the perfect position, roof pitch can be automatically adjusted to optimize exposure and minimize solar gain.

Energy-Efficient Materials: The materials used in the construction of every building can have a major impact on its functionality. By leveraging glazing materials that transmit the full light spectrum, plant growth can be maximized as well as limiting pest pressure.

Solving The Cannabis Carbon Problem With The Architecture of Tomorrow

Given the legal hurdles cannabis legislation is currently going through across the United States, there is no fixed date as to when legislation will be made around green energy and cannabis cultivation. Yet the numbers are clear: cannabis growth has a major impact on the environment, and choices can be made today to limit those numbers. Eco-friendly cannabis design has a shockingly low carbon footprint, leading to smaller energy bills and greater overhead.

MerJ Architecture seeks to provide business owners and operators with state-of-the-art designs and methodologies to help connect buyers with cannabis. Contact us today to learn more about what makes us the best cannabis architecture firm in the United States.