PORTLAND, Ore. (April 1, 2020) – PRESS RELEASE – Resource Innovation Institute, an organization promoting energy efficiency for cannabis growers, has announced the formation of its Water Working Group. The group, made up of experts in multiple fields and disciplines, is an important part of RII’s push for more sustainable water management in the fast-growing cannabis agricultural sector.

The Water Working Group will advise RII on a range of issues, including upgrades to its Cannabis PowerScore benchmarking tool to enable governments and other stakeholders a more accurate understanding of cannabis water use, and how geographies and cultivation methods impact usage rates. The group will also counsel RII on its farm outreach strategies to gather best practices.

“Resource Innovation Institute facilitates our multi-disciplinary Technical Advisory Council to provide peer-reviewed objective guidance on how to cultivate cannabis in a resource efficient manner across a variety of grow environments, from indoor to outdoor to greenhouse,” said Derek Smith, executive director of RII. “The Water Working Group will be a key contributing body as we expand our breadth of expertise on water issues.”

New candidates will join these previously identified members of the Water Working Group:

Hollie Hall, founding board member, International Cannabis Farmers Association (Arcata, Calif.) Chris Dillis, environmental scientist and postdoctoral researcher, University of California, BerkeleyBarb Anderson, Water Resources Program management analyst, Washington State’s Department of Ecology

RII is accepting applications for the Water Working Group and is seeking experts with cannabis-related experience from the following backgrounds:

Environmental NGOMunicipal water utilityWater filtration/treatment systemsIndoor cultivationGreenhouse cultivationOutdoor cultivationAutomated fertigationDehumidificationDrip irrigation manufacturerSoil/media

Interested individuals can access the application here. The group will hold its first meeting in May 2020.