Its a green gift from one grower to another.
Vancouver-based Aurora Cannabis is digging in to help a Calgary urban farming operation by donating truckloads of used growing materials along with their highly honed green thumbs to the local non-profit that provides fresh produce for local agencies.
Cam Battley, executive vice-president of Aurora, which operates a federally-licensed medical marijuana production facility near Cremona, said the company is unable to re-use the pots and other growing materials used for growing weed because of stringent rules governing the burgeoning industry.
Because were growing medicine we have extremely strict protocols that say we cant re-use them, he said.
We have been recycling them, but this is a step beyond that. In addition to the supplies, were also donating the expertise of our growers we have some of the best agricultural experts in the country and its part of our corporate culture that we be super connected to our community.
The donated pots and propagation trays are used for cloning cannabis plants that are among the 7,000 kilograms of medical marijuana being grown at the companys central Alberta facility annually.
And the expertise, said Battley, will acquaint the Grow Calgary farmers with some of the latest practices in pesticide-free agriculture, using so-called good bugs for pest control as well as other cutting edge cultivation tools.
Grow Calgary founder Paul Hughes said the operation, run by volunteers on 4.5 hectares of land west of Canada Olympic Park, is almost completely reliant on donations from individuals and organizations, so the bounty in both material and expertise pledged by Aurora will be a huge boost.
This is one of the single largest contributions weve had to the growing side of what we do, Hughes said.
Weve also go a lot of young people who dont have a lot of formal growing experience, so the fact that theyre sharing their expertise in growing and plant biology in the long run may be more beneficial than the actual materials.
Theyre the NASA of plant biology.
Now going into its fifth growing season since launching in 2013, Hughes said he expects the operation will fill about 500 truckloads of donated produce to 20 agencies that help the less fortunate. That annual yield of some 30 different vegetables comes from about 2 million seeds in the ground.
Battley added Aurora is also looking to donate rich and chemical-free compost to the Calgary growers as part of the donation.
Aurora, which already operates a 55,200 sq.-ft. legal medical marijuana operation in Cremona, has begun building a massive facility at Edmonton International Airport the size of 10 Canadian football fields, which would make it the largest such operation on the planet.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Aurora Cannabis Donating Gardening Supplies, Expertise To Calgary Urban Farm Charity
Author: Shawn Logan
Contact: 403-235-7100
Photo Credit: Gavin Young
Website:Calgary Herald
