Lansing, Mich. (October 15, 2020)—Resource Innovation Institute recently wrapped up its Michigan Efficient Yields virtual workshop series titled Best Practices on Energy Efficient Cultivation. The workshop series was attended by warehouse and greenhouse growers of a variety of crops and was sponsored by Lansing Board of Water & Light and Consumers Energy.
Speakers were drawn from RII’s Technical Advisory Council, and spoke on the following topics:
- Best Practices on Facility Design & Optimization
- Best Practices on Cultivating with Efficient Lighting
- HVAC Strategies for Profit & Plant Vitality
“Indoor cultivation uses a lot of energy,” said Rachel Fredrickson of Consumers Energy. “As a utility, we provide incentives and technical assistance, such as these workshops, to help this class of customers be more efficient.”
“As a municipal utility, we serve all customers in our service territory. Indoor cultivation is a growing sector of our local economy,” said Patrick Walters of Lansing Board of Water & Light. “We want to support these customers in finding a low cost of production that will help them compete and provide long-term tax returns to our community.”
“RII’s Efficient Yields workshops provide a platform for service providers, manufacturers and other industry professionals to share what they do, how they do it, and why they do it that way,” said Michigan-based Mike Fisher, a long-time cultivator and current consultant helping cultivators effectively design and operate facilities that meet their needs. “It is especially important for cannabis industry professionals to do their own research and make informed decisions using resources like the RII.”
Beyond Efficient Yields workshops, RII is currently writing a Utility Primer on Program Design & Market Engagement to support utilities throughout North America who are serving the Controlled Environment Agriculture sector. Based on feedback from its Utility Working Group, RII expects to expand utility services in 2021, including:
- The Cannabis PowerScore benchmarking platform
- A turnkey Marketing Toolkit, including grower-facing website, video and social media content
- A Planning & Verification Framework, complete with pre- and post-project savings calculators and other resources
For more information, go to ResourceInnovation.org/Utility. To schedule an interview with an RII representative, please contact Shawna Seldon McGregor at shawna@themaverickpr.com or 917-971-7852.
Resource Innovation Institute: Advancing Resource Efficiency to Cultivate a Better Cannabis Future
Resource Innovation Institute (RII) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance resource efficiency to cultivate a better cannabis future. Founded in 2016 in Portland, OR, USA, RII’s Board of Directors includes the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), a former board member of the US Green Building Council and leading cannabis industry players. Its Cannabis PowerScore benchmarking platform represents the world’s largest dataset on cannabis energy use. RII’s Technical Advisory Council is the leading multi-disciplinary body assessing the environmental impacts and best practices associated with cultivation resource issues. RII’s Efficient Yields cultivation workshops are the only grower-led, non-commercial venues for the exchange of resource efficient cultivation best practices. RII is funded by utilities, foundations, governments and industry leaders. Visit our website at ResourceInnovation.org. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
# # #
