Every day choices can change the world

If you live under a rock, especially in California, please download Watch Duty and get right out from under it, babe! You’re in an evacuation zone. It’s January 9, 2025, and that’s how it has felt for pretty much everyone here in Los Angeles. It’s sobering, and it’s heavy. It tastes like thick smoke full of toxins and homes big and small being ignited in a matter of minutes. It’s frightening and howling, and it’s a weary look into what is actually happening to our planet. We’ve watched on our phones as places all around the world suffer increasingly frequent and harrowing natural disasters. Disasters that burn down people’s lives into ash. Ash that floats into the water and poisons the stream, that I then evaporate at least half of in a pot on the sink, in Studio city. And the cycle continues, on a global level. And listen, I didn’t originally want to write my article for this lovely B&W fresh edition surrounding something so dark, but my original ideas don’t feel as impactful for me to write about right now. I want to talk about cannabis and how it impacts the planet.

These disasters, they’re truly devastating. I want to take a solemn moment, before I go into ideas that inspire me, to grieve for those who have lost their entire lives in these fires. There’s nothing that can be said right now that will make that conclusion of events any easier to swallow, or to deal with. 

When things of this catastrophic level happen, it always leads me to think about ways I can make the world a better place, especially environmentally. We know there are solutions out there, and we already have the technology to change the world! But there are choices we make every day that can change the world in little ways. For instance, where do you get your weed from? When you’re shopping for bud, have you ever considered the origins of it, before purchasing? There are a few things you may not have considered about a cannabis company before purchasing that could have a big impact on your own personal greenprint on the Earth!

Cannabis’ Carbon Footprint

This first category is an umbrella term and a lot of things contribute. A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted because of consumption of fossil fuels by a person, place, or in this case, corporation. So basically, the carbon dioxide build up that is accelerating climate change to these extreme levels at such a fast pace is often contributed to by these massive corporations. Understanding their carbon footprint can be a powerful way to dictate your dollar’s vote when you’re purchasing.

So, if you’re looking for a fantastic gummy brand, that’s widely available and tasty, look no further than Wyld! These yummy gummies were actually the first to be Climate Neutral Certified. They work to offset their carbon emissions by setting science-aligned targets and purchasing carbon credits.

Green Growing, Growing Green

When you’re thinking about cannabis production, what comes to mind? Is it a dewy greenhouse, foggy in the windows with moisture? With happy little hippies roam the aisles, muttering “oh that’s amazing bud, man” to each other, like Shaggy from Scoobie Doo? That’s how I imagine it, at least. And I want to support a cannabis company that considers their long-term impact on the environment around them. I also want to support a company that uses ethical labor, pays fair wages to their employees, and practices thoughtful approaches to everything they touch. This means I’m looking for them to grow good green, from every angle.

For a popular brand with delicious flower and adorable packaging, and which also focuses heavily on Earth-healthy practices, try Pure Beauty. There are no nasty pesticides involved in their grow process, and they actually use helpful little critters to keep the plants healthy and safe. Using earthworms and roly-polies to protect their plants and turn their soil, they lean on practices as old as dirt itself. Their mission statement regarding the planet is to, “never put profits over a clean and beautiful Earth,” and I think we can all agree about that. 

Community Contribution

How someone behaves when they make more money than they’ve ever dreamed of says a lot about them. The same goes for the actions of a corporation, and it is a massive part of climate change. You may think that a humanitarian based issue is unrelated to the issue at hand in this piece, but I would disagree with you. I think human beings are essential to consider when you distinguish what is harmful to the environment, but especially when you consider the people who climate change will impact the most severely. How a company behaves in their community is directly correlated with how they behave toward the Earth itself. 

Verano Holdings, which is a Chicago-based cannabis company and dispensary, focuses on providing financial aid for members of the grow community serving prison time for cannabis-related sentences. Many of those locked up for growing or selling weed have found themselves incarcerated because of racial bias and financial inability. By providing financial aid for these folks, Verano Holdings gives back to the community who originated the practice of distributing cannabis, and supports justice for those unlawfully held.

How’s It Packaged?

The final category, but maybe the most obvious, is how something is packaged. Are they using excessive bubble wrap? Do they take two hours to open because there are four layers of plastic? Or do they use recycled plastic, keep the bubble wrap to a minimum, and maybe, if you’re lucky, have compostable packaging? Considering the waste alongside the consumable is a good way to think green when buying green.

Stone Rose is a sustainably focused company growing up in NorCal. Their packaging is 99% recyclable and made from … get ready for it … a whopping 100% post-consumer recycled goods. 

These are just a few of the categories and companies who are doing their part in the fight for our planet. There’s so many ways for these corporations to earn our vote, which we cast every time we purchase our weed. From bud to gummies, concentrate to drinkables, from sea to shining sea. Our beautiful planet is one of a kind, and gives us so much green. Of so many strains.