Huge carbon footprint of pot growers

[Headbandf1]

When you smoke a blunt, you are responsible for two pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. At least according to a study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The same study, by energy analyst Evan Mills, reports that US pot growers are responsible for one percent of national electricity consumption. In California, the top pot-producing state, that percentage increases to 3% for all electricity use and 8% of household use.

Minimal information and producer consideration of energy use, coupled with adaptations for security and privacy, lead to particularly inefficient configurations and correspondingly large energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions. If improved practices applicable to commercial agricultural greenhouses are any indication, the energy use for indoor Cannabis production can be reduced dramatically. Cost-effective efficiency improvements of 75% are conceivable, which would yield energy savings of about $25,000/year for a generic 10-module growing room. Shifting cultivation outdoors eliminates most energy uses (aside from transport), although the practice can impose other environmental impacts.​

"Energy up in Smoke: The Carbon Footprint of Indoor Cannabis Production" (via National Geographic)

 

[paladin420]

Rumor was here in Mich the power companies where lobbing The state to allow more outdoor growing. Our power grid is gettin spanked hard..

 

[Rowdy420]

Decriminalize the herb and I'd love to go back outdoors! It is really where it belongs!

1% isn't shit when you break it down, there could be huge amounts of savings if everyone utilized LED in the "corporate world" but they're really not investing in anything, Pigs!

Good luck, Peace

 

[FreezerBoy]

I'd love to go back outdoors! It is really where it belongs!

Freezerboy misses trees...

 

[bonsai]

As a point of reference, just over 30% of the worlds total electricity is used to make chlorine.

fucking chlorine!!

 

[Maj.Cottonmouth]

Citation needed

 

[Dirty Harry]

"When you smoke a blunt, you are responsible for two pounds of carbon dioxide emissions."
--------------------------
Hook up with a large group of people a few hours after a good chili feed...That is nothing to what they put out...and I am one of they.

 

[Sam the Caveman]

I would guess this story doesn't account for people who run their lights during the off-peak hours or people who's power is generated by hydroelectric or windmills.

The reason off peak electricity is cheaper, for those companies who offer it, is because those steam turbines can only be slowed down so much, so there ends up being lots of electricity made that doesn't get used. So, if I decide to run my 15 lights during these off peak hours, did I really create a larger "carbon footprint"?

And then on top of that, they say its only 1% of all electricity used. These folks need to find something better to do with their time, this is a non-issue.

 

[Weird]

lmao

at least the energy growers use makes something like meds and revenues that go directly back into local economies

how about google apple and microsoft

you think your email messaging and web use doesnt use energy

not just your device but all the infrastructure in between

mi willing to be that just the electricity used to facilitate the flow of spam on the internet is more than all that of indoor electric use for growing

 

[dubwise]

I wonder how much of a footprint is created for prohibition of weed(investigation,arrest,court,imprisonment? How many resources are required for one single raid? I bet it comes up to be more than 1%.

 

[Iron_Lion]

I always feel bad about this part of indoor growing but I try to make uo for it in other ways like composting, recycling and being a total electricity nazi in every other part of the house.

There are people out there that consume way more power than I do and dont even grow weed, like all those people with their big screen tvs, video game systems, porch lights left on all the time, barn lights blazing all night, pool filters running 24-7, 1000watts alone of kitchen lighting, multiple refridgerators/freezers, air conditioners in every window and house lights left on all the time. When you start looking at how most of america lives pot growers only use their fair share of the power.

And what really kills me about this subject is if you look at super rich people and their shopping mall sized mansions. Will Smith for instance has a humongous house, I'd like to see what his electric bill is, I bet its atleast 10 times mine in my modest house even with the 1k blazing.

 

[dubwise]

ABSOLUTELY!

 

[habeeb]

yeah this is something to think about

many ways to save if you take the time

-light use / led
-use of sun light
-off peak consumption
-dial down lighting timers
-use all of spacing with each light
-hang dry clothes
-dial down the hot water heater / get a timer for it
-any new electronic / appliance , buy energy star / low wattage model
-don't use air con in summer
-get outside more

...

 

[dekab247]

Love the Chili

Love the Chili

Dirty Harry,

I love me some good hot Chili. Say I live down south. Told my kid who lives up North. That tornadoes are made when a bunch of us rednecks get together in a circle, and fart. Damn if next day the kid doesn't go to school, and say....Teacher my Daddy told me how tornadoes are made...D

 

[sumo]

Yes. This part of growing bothers me too but who's fault is it? Mine? No. I don't support prohibition. If I didn't grow, someone would have to do it for me. Most of us support legalization even though it takes the incentive to grow away from us. Some of us support legalization even though we can make huge dollars while prohibition exists. That is the true test of if you are on the "good" side or the "bad". Are you just a criminal that will switch to the next profitable drug once herb is legalized? I don't think so.
If you are so wracked with guilt you could always buy carbon offset credits which will invest in clean energy. Or like me you can support legalization even thought it will kill part of the buzz of growing.
Another benefit of growing in USA is taking the business from the head choppers down south. I have never followed through on that urge to chop someones head off. That might make up for part of that energy usage.

 

[forty]

In California, the top pot-producing state, that percentage increases to 3% for all electricity use and 8% of household use.

somebody tell moonbeam and the other useless sacks'a shit in sac to raise the t-stat in the capital bldg a bit... that'd help.

 

[guest121295]

You want to see a nice fat carbon footprint, spend a day on a fishing boat with the motor running 24/7, it's like banging you're head on a tree.I'm doing everybody a favor by parking my boat and turning up the lamps, plus most people like weed better than fish.

 

[rangergord]

Prohibition is the real problem. I grow outdoors for half the year and it reduces my electricity use alot. During the winter I only run a 400 watt HPS for 12 hours a day and add a small cfl to my room to make the flower cycle into a veg cycle. Works great. There are lots of solutions but few who care to implement them.

 

[VerdantGreen]

try and make your grow as efficient as possible, get the most out of your light/s.

VG

 

[Puffaluffagus]

And the plants are releasing oxygen, which everyone needs to live, so there's a trade off I say.
Plus all the people that benefit from natural medicine instead of an endless array of pills.
I wonder what big pharmas footprint is?

I see this article is from NatGeo.
Hey NatGeo, how many trees did you chop down to make this months issue of your magazine?
Maybe you should look at your own carbon footprint first, before you start pointing fingers at the growers