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At long last, it’s Emerald Cup weekend…

Cannabis cups are always inspiring events. The best minds and the most committed hearts join to celebrate the harvest and raise the bar for the industry. On quality. On culture. On what it means to be in this promising community.

Resource Innovation Institute is proud to be affiliated with two of the best and most environmentally conscious: Cultivation Classic and The Emerald Cup. Our role in these events is as researchers, as curious and dynamic facilitators in the quest for knowledge and data around this mysterious plant that offers so many opportunities to help heal the planet.

Many geek out about terpenes and cannabinoid profiles. We geek out on natural resource data. As a conservation non-profit, RII set out to discover how the best flower can be grown using the most efficient energy, carbon and water inputs across each type of cultivation method, and within each climate zone.

Through our partnerships with these competitions, we’re collecting energy consumption data from leading growers. Our goal is to both compel and inform utilities and public agencies on establishing policies and incentive programs that make it easier for cultivators to utilize energy efficient lighting, HVAC, water pumps and more. All data is kept confidential and anonymous, and no names and addresses are ever shared.

Due to decades of prohibition, none of this data has been measured or collected on a large scale, and aggregating baseline data sets is a critical first step in a long, though proven, process of transforming markets toward conservation. These data sets are formed via partnerships like those that we have with touchstone events like The Emerald Cup, where cultivators can enter the Regenerative Cannabis Farm Award. We’re honored to be in such great company.

RII is building additional partnerships as we roll out the Cannabis PowerScore tool, which is in beta testing through the end of the year

We are so grateful to the teams at Cultivation Classic and The Emerald Cup, and to all participating farmers, who are supporting the Cannabis PowerScore effort – sharing their data anonymously to help create a better industry and a brighter future for humanity.

Together, we can shape an industry where cannabis leads by demonstrating the most caring and resource efficient economy in the world.

p.s. Check back in and we’ll share our findings from this year’s Emerald Cup and Cultivation Classic competitions.