Regenerative Organic Cannabis Educational Event Featuring Brother David’s Founder David Bronner

Press release from Manifesto Synergies:

More than 100 regenerative organic cannabis farmers and brands, partner dispensaries, allied businesses, and nonprofit advocacy organizations have joined together to form Weed Like Change, a consumer education campaign to advocate for regenerative organic cannabis.

The Weed Like Change campaign and coalition has high hopes to shift the industry toward environmentally responsible and ethically produced cannabis products. The intent is to increase the financial viability of regenerative organic cannabis brands, improve market access for independent and small-scale legacy farmers, and raise consumer awareness about the role cannabis production plays in either contributing to, or helping to mitigate, the effects of climate change.

The next educational program will be a meet and greet event with David Bronner, the CEO of Dr. Bronner’s soap, and the face behind Brother David’s, a nonprofit cannabis brand created as an initiative to support Sun+Earth Certified Farms. The event will include showcasing Weed Like Change products and a sneak preview of Tending the Garden, a new documentary about regenerative organic cannabis farming practices that features Sun+Earth Certified farmers.

What: Regenerative organic cannabis educational event featuring Brother David’s founder David Bronner at 12 pm and Sneak 20 min Preview of  “Tending the Garden” by La Osa and Jesse Dodd Biovortex at 1pm

When: Tuesday, May 24 from 12-3 PM Pacific

Where: Herb and Market Humboldt, 427 H St, Arcata, CA 95521

“Many factors such as climate-driven disasters, wildfires and droughts, along with economic adversity from onerous regulatory burdens, and falling prices due to unbridled cannabis production, together contribute to the crisis faced by many small-scale, legacy, craft, and family-run cannabis farms,” said Chrystal Ortiz, founder of Sun+Earth Certified High Water Farm and Herb & Market Humboldt dispensary, which are both participating partners in the Weed Like Change campaign. “In response to these challenges, the Weed Like Change campaign seeks to uplift regenerative organic farmers who have endured great hardship in a rapidly expanding and increasingly corporatized industry that seeks to monopolize production and market access.”

Convened by the nonprofit Sun+Earth Certified, the Weed Like Change campaign aims to educate cannabis consumers at retail outlets, points of sale, online, and through a series of educational events, about the environmental advantages of regenerative organic farming in the cannabis industry, and the health benefits of cannabis products produced to high-bar organic certification standards.

“By amplifying farmer and consumer voices, and making the connection between cannabis cultivation and climate change, Weed Like Change is educating the public on the most pressing cannabis industry issues of our time,” said Sun+Earth Certified Board President and regenerative organic cannabis farmer Casey O’Neill.

“The corporatization and mass production of cannabis in indoor, energy-intensive warehouses is not sustainable and has a disproportionately high carbon footprint, and we’d like to shift the industry toward more regenerative and socially just production models. This effort seeks to help consumers understand how uplifting farmers is a key priority, if we are to protect and revitalize our local cannabis economies,” he continued.

As part of the Weed Like Change campaign, scores of retail workers will be trained to engage with consumers on the benefits of regenerative organic cannabis. Each campaign partner will also be supplied with educational materials including informative point-of-sale displays and vertical wall units, wooden medallions, window decals, and QR Code stickers that enable consumers to learn more about regenerative organic cannabis. Dr. Bronner’s, the top-selling natural brand of soap in North America, is producing limited-edition Pure-Castile 4oz soap bottles with a special campaign label, in support of the Weed Like Change campaign, which will be available at campaign education events.

In an effort to move the cannabis industry in a healthier and more environmentally friendly direction, Weed Like Change is asking consumers to sign a pledge in support of regenerative organic cannabis, and to urge their local dispensaries to carry Sun+Earth and Biodynamic Certified products.

The Weed Like Change campaign comes as Sun+Earth recently celebrated its third anniversary on Earth Day, April 22. Founded in 2019 by cannabis industry leaders, experts, and advocates with a common commitment to regenerative organic agriculture, farmworker protections, and community engagement, Sun+Earth aims to move the cannabis industry toward a cleaner, healthier, and more ethical future. Sun+Earth has certified over 60 farms and manufacturers in four states—California, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington. For more on Sun+Earth Certified: www.sunandearth.org.

The Weed Like Change coalition includes 23 cannabis farms and brands, and at least 40 dispensaries and delivery services across California and Oregon. For a full list of participating farms, brands and retail businesses, as well as available products and where to purchase them, please visit: WeedLikeChange.org.

“Tending the Garden” film by La Osa and Biovortex is a journey through a year in the life of three family farms cultivating cannabis, food and community in the pursuit of a regenerative future. Herb & Market will show a 20-minute sneak preview at 1pm.

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yep
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yep
1 year ago

“The corporatization and mass production of cannabis in indoor, energy-intensive warehouses is not sustainable and has a disproportionately high carbon footprint”

To be fair the way outdoor is done here also has a horrendous carbon footprint, and causes forest fragmentation, used massive amounts of plastic, causes noise and light pollution, as well as, introduces fertilizers and pesticides to the environment.

Regenerative permaculture cannabis is certainly much more ethical, but far more difficult to make profitable.

North westCertain license plate out of thousands c
Guest
North westCertain license plate out of thousands c
1 year ago
Reply to  yep

I’m sorry you missed out on the truly great old days Back when if you could spot a male every time and always used sunlight to grow with.
Everything was grown organic. We didn’t have all of the invasive critters you have now days Oh the plants were hard to get more than a pound off of but a few would keep you and family happy till spring.

Lost Croat OutburstD
Member
Lost Croat Outburst
1 year ago
Reply to  yep

You have an active fantasy life. Back in my day, a bunch of chicken wire fencing around your garden and it was just like growing corn or tomatoes. This concept of old-style homestead gardening being horribly toxic compared to fruit and vegetables is not true. Yes, idiots who dumped excess pesticides and fertilizers were a threat but outdoor weed production is not inherently evil anymore than corn or tomatoes. Only if the people involved are evil will the garden be evil, like any other business.

thatguyinarcata
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thatguyinarcata
1 year ago
Reply to  yep

You’re describing greenhouse production. Not outdoor.

Tree Hugger
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Tree Hugger
1 year ago

This Synergists’ Manifesto uses a lot of words while never actually defining ‘regenerative organic cannabis’.

I do not care to decipher encoded messages, so I’ll just go ahead and assume this has something to do with farming perennials…

Long Time Triangle Resident
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Long Time Triangle Resident
1 year ago

Too bad the average market consumer can care less if its organic, especially if its more expensive .

Sword Fest
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Sword Fest
1 year ago

Consumers care about hype marketing and the Celebrity behind the brand. They do not care about regenerative farming practices and phony farmers. Haha. Looks like a local marketing firm has found its customer base though. Haha.

Lost Croat OutburstD
Member
Lost Croat Outburst
1 year ago

Probably you mean can’t care less.

Tall Trees
Guest
Tall Trees
1 year ago

The headline should say he’s the grandson of the founder, Emanuel Bonner who died in the late 1990’s. Emanuel’s life is fascinating. So glad to see David and his family carried on the legacy. The company treats its employees very generously and fairly. Here’s a nice profile of the soap company from the NY Times in February: Dr. Bronner’s, the Soap Company, Dips Into Psychedelics https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/28/health/ketamine-bronner-bros.html

Jay Beigh
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Jay Beigh
1 year ago

//”The corporatization and mass production of cannabis in indoor, energy-intensive warehouses is not sustainable and has a disproportionately high carbon footprint…”//

Casey is right — but it’s a problem that will solve itself over the next few years with zero intervention.

The overwhelming percentage of indoor, city based ‘warehouse’ operations are sweating bullets currently because the path they have chosen will no longer be economically viable in rather short order (or even now in some cases). They have made large investments in this economically unsustainable business model that will be very difficult to unwind.

When the market suffers a contraction or oversupply (as in 2021/2) a Monterey County farmer can let that 40 acres fallow or revert back to brocolli. A SoCal warehouse operation has much more investment momentum to turn around. The indoor folks have yet to deal with much of that because indoor expansion is much harder and thus the market is not as overbuilt (yet).

In an indoor/greenhouse business, there is an almost direct correlation between production costs and environmental costs. Wasting carbon dominated power costs money and the environment. The money side will force the change, even for those who don’t care about the environment.

These economically (and thus environmentally) inefficient operations simply won’t survive the next gen operations – they will be crushed by those who looked ahead, saw this coming, searched out and engineered better solutions. We’re coming for them.

“The secret to success is basic foresight.” LB

Last edited 1 year ago
Lost Croat OutburstD
Member
Lost Croat Outburst
1 year ago
Reply to  Jay Beigh

Has anyone figured out the additional monetary and environmental cost per cannabis unit for indoor lighting and heating compared to natural sunlight outdoors?

Jay Beigh
Guest
Jay Beigh
1 year ago

It’s not a hard calculation in and of itself, but there are many input variables to include and that’s the hard part.

For instance, it’s absolutely possible to grow natural sunlight cannabis in a (very crappy) way that’s more carbon intensive then the very best indoor method. Believe me, I’m not claiming that’s what’s normal (it’s not), but it can be done.

Using the classic ‘air conditioned and dehu warehouse on the grid’ model that’s commonly used currently, the carbon footprint of indoor vs sun grown isn’t even in the same universe. It’s a mess how environmentally inefficient it is – but it will change.

JB

Ben Round
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Ben Round
1 year ago

This sounds like an opportunity….. just in time. One of few ideas to help save Humboldt/ET farmers. We need to differentiate ourselves and stay close to our values. This seems a way to do that.