Why Would A Cannabis Dispensary Add EV Charging Out Front?
An inspiring story of one dispensary’s quest towards clean energy
7 Stars Holistic Healing Center receives as many as 30 deliveries from cannabis distributors per week. They drop off cannabis flower, pre-rolls, edibles, tinctures, and a variety of other cannabis products. Delivery drivers unload and roll hand trucks full of boxed cannabis products into our store daily. But until recently all of the vehicles that delivered to us were running on fossil fuels. As the Director of Marketing for 7 Stars and an environmentalist, I felt that I was in a good position to lead the charge on installing EV chargers to convert some of these delivery vehicles, so I researched the project costs, available incentives, technology and other details, and pitched the idea to the owners. They were cautious of uncharted territory, but after securing corporate sponsorship from four cannabis brands, the owners were on board.
Having support from Native Humboldt, Sol Spirit Farm, KIVA, and WYLD was crucial to the project’s success, and the brands were happy to do something for the greater good and get positive exposure as a result. We also received technical and financial support from MCE Energy, which generates the wind and solar electricity that our dispensary runs on.
One of my goals for the EV charger project is to nudge the cannabis industry toward electrifying its transportation. The delivery from farmer to manufacturer to distributor to dispensary is a part of California’s supply chain that could be zero emissions if EV charging was ubiquitous. One of the most popular edible brands in California, KIVA, already owned a Ford E-Transit Van when we installed the chargers. They deliver to us weekly so I requested that KIVA deliver to 7 Stars using the electric vehicle, and they were happy to oblige.
To Read The Rest Of This Article On Clean Technica, Click Here
