Blog

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…