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Resource Innovation Institute

Massachusetts Cannabis Cultivators Benefit from RII Services

By gretchenBlog

Commonwealth Operators Have Easier Path Toward Energy Efficiency and Economic Vitality Resource Innovation Institute, in partnership with American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, are nearing completion of a comprehensive project to support Massachusetts cannabis cultivators with peer-reviewed resources to help...

October 6, 2020

2020 RII Member Meeting Highlights

By gretchenBlog

On September 29th, RII’s Executive Director Derek Smith led our first Member Meeting, gathering 59 attendees together to check in on 2020 progress, provide a venue for discussion, and offer members a roadmap for 2021. We have been expanding our...

October 6, 2020

Growing and Drying Hemp Efficiently in Vermont

By gretchenBlog

RII served on a panel of experts on August 6th, 2020 to support the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops & Soils Program and the Center for Sustainable Agriculture for their 2020 Hemp Growing Season Webinar Series for CBD Post-Harvest...

September 24, 2020

Cannabis Business Times Editorials Feature RII Members

By gretchenBlog

Throughout 2020, Cannabis Business Times has graciously featured a series of editorials written by RII’s Technical Director Gretchen Schimelpfenig and co-authored by RII members. The editorials repackage and deliver subject matter from RII’s Best Practices Guides to disseminate efficient HVAC...

September 24, 2020

RII Participates in Colorado Advisory Group on Adapting Waste Regulations

By gretchenBlog

More Work on Waste on Horizon RII was recently asked to participate in the Sustainability & Science/Policy Work Group meeting focused on regulations addressing packing and waste associated with cannabis products in Colorado. Executive Director Derek Smith attended the August 11 meeting...

September 7, 2020

RII Highlights Cannabis Facility Efficiency Opportunities for MEEA Members

By gretchenBlog

In August, RII Technical Director Gretchen Schimelpfenig spoke on a panel at the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) webinar Exploring Energy Efficiency in the Cannabis Industry. Gretchen joined experts from energy efficiency program implementers and utilities working in New England,...

September 4, 2020

RII Presents at DLC Incentives and Regulations Webinar

By gretchenBlog

RII on Panel with Massachusetts, Illinois and California Representatives On August 26th, RII Executive Director Derek Smith spoke on a panel at the DesignLights Consortium’s webinar Incentives vs. Regulations – What Do They Mean for Product Selection?. He joined experts...

September 4, 2020

Title 24, Part 6, Energy Code Impacts on California Cannabis Cultivators

By gretchenBlog

Highlighting facts and proposing a collaborative path forward California’s cannabis industry has recently been contemplating the Statewide Codes and Standards Enhancement (CASE) Team’s proposed code change proposals to the Energy Code as market actors assess potential impacts on cultivation operations....

August 11, 2020

RII Leaders Speak at Indoor AgTech Innovation Summit

By gretchenBlog

Executive Director Derek Smith discussed energy standards and Board Member Jen Amann presented about codes On Thursday, July 23, RII Executive Director Derek Smith hosted Energy Standards: The Missing Piece for Scale and Sustainability, a roundtable held twice during the...

July 30, 2020

Massachusetts CCC Issues Compilation of Energy FAQs and Answers

By gretchenBlog

Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission Addresses Definitions, Eligible Equipment, and Exemptions Horticultural Lighting Power Density Calculations Clarified On July 17, 2020, the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission released a list of frequently asked questions with associated answers to clarify the market's understanding...

July 23, 2020

Sustainability Roundtable at Virtual MJBizConNEXT

By gretchenBlog

RII Hosts Sustainability Roundtable at Virtual MJBizConNEXT Dialogue Ranged from Energy to Water to Waste On Wed., July 1, Executive Director Derek Smith joined MJBiz’s John Schroyer in leading an open dialogue on “What sustainability practices are you implementing at...

July 22, 2020

Resorative Justice for Black Cultivators in the Cannabis Industry

By gretchenBlog

Allocating Cannabis Taxes to Communities Impacted by the War on Drugs As conversations about defunding police departments mount across the country, RII is focusing on our collective opportunity to influence the reallocation of cannabis taxes. In Portland, Oregon, 45% of...

July 8, 2020

DLC Updates Horticultural Lighting Technical Requirements

By gretchenBlog

DesignLights Consortium Releases Draft Horticultural Lighting Technical Requirements v2.0 RII invites you to provide feedback on the recently released first draft of the DLC Horticultural Lighting Technical Requirements V2.0. V2.0 continues the transition from using traditional lighting metrics to using...

June 1, 2020

Massachusetts PowerScore Comply & Benchmark

By gretchenBlog

New PowerScore Service Launched for Massachusetts Cultivators As of July 1, Massachusetts cannabis cultivators can use a unique portal of RII’s Cannabis PowerScore to easily report, benchmark, and improve performance of their greenhouses and indoor facilities. The upgrades were funded...

June 1, 2020

How to Weather COVID and Improve Cannabis Energy Efficiency Now

By gretchenBlog

Tighten your belt to ensure survival and reduce operating costs today and beyond The president of an RII member company that manufactures cultivation HVAC equipment recently let us know that during the downtime presented by coronavirus, they have taken...

April 23, 2020

Incorporating Energy Guidelines in Cultivation Licensing

By gretchenBlog

Advice for State and Federal Governments Looking to Incorporate Energy Guidelines in Cultivation Licensing Peer-reviewed Guidance for State and Federal Lawmakers There are a number of opportunities for state and federal agencies, and, to a certain extent, utilities, to...

March 30, 2020

Cultivator Input Needed for California Title 24 Revisions

By gretchenBlog

Get Involved and Offer Input for California Title 24 Revisions Last month we wrote about how California’s proposed regulations aimed at saving energy and water while maintaining crop quality and production volume for crops grown in non-stacked and stacked indoor...

March 10, 2020

California Energy Codes May Affect All “Controlled Environment Horticulture”

California Writing Energy Codes that May Affect Cannabis Cultivation and All “Controlled Environment Horticulture” How your business can get involved As part of its 2022 code cycle, the California Energy Commission is reviewing proposals aimed at saving energy and...

February 7, 2020

HVAC and Dehumidification Best Practices Guide for Cannabis Cultivators

RII’s HVAC Best Practices Guide Demystifies Approaches to Efficient HVAC for Cannabis Get Help with Controlled Environment Agriculture Dehumidification System Selection It can be difficult for growers and the design and construction professionals supporting them to navigate how to build...

January 7, 2020

RII’s LED Lighting Best Practices Guide Launch

RII’s LED Lighting Best Practices Guide Illuminates the Way to Lower-Energy Grows It can be difficult for growers and the design and construction professionals supporting them to navigate how to build and operate efficient and effective lighting systems for...

January 7, 2020

Redefining Success to Reflect the Sophistication of Your Market

It’s not uncommon to hear indoor cannabis cultivators talk about crop output and throw out phrases such as “pounds per light” and “grams per watt.” But are those the best metrics by which to judge cultivation performance and, specifically, optimization...

November 10, 2019

Helping Cultivators and Construction Partners Communicate Effectively

RII’s Best Practices Guides Help Cultivators and Construction Partners Communicate More Effectively on Technical Terms and Concepts Modern horticulture continues to change rapidly because of technological advances. And cultivators of all kinds — and especially those who grow cannabis...

November 10, 2019

Accelerating an Energy Efficient and Decarbonized Agricultural Future

From Cannabis to Cucumbers: Applying Early Policy & Program Learnings to Inform the Future of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) By Derek Smith, Executive Director, Resource Innovation Institute As weather patterns disrupt outdoor crop cycles in our rapidly climate-constrained world,…

October 9, 2019

Illinois Follows Massachusetts with Energy Use Restrictions

With passage of Illinois’s new adult use cannabis law and its rules for cannabis grow facility energy and environmental performance, the Land of Lincoln becomes the 11th state in the country to regulate cultivation and sale of adult use cannabis…

June 18, 2019

Resource Innovation Institute Releases Primer on LED Lighting

One common misconception among cannabis cultivators is that to grow a quality plant indoors, you need to use the long-held industry standard high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights. As a result, long-time cultivators have often shied away from the more energy-efficient Light-Emitting…

June 12, 2019

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