Stiiizy Fights the Good Fight on Earth Day 2023

The message is clear: Earth Day 2023 is the most critical time for citizens of the world to work together and save our planet; the relentless burning of fossil fuels, plastic-filled oceans and rivers and unsustainable population growth has brought us to the brink of environmental disaster. That’s why it’s crucial at this pivotal moment in human history that we hold businesses and governments accountable for their roles in creating a more sustainable future for us all.

Innovative thought leaders and progressive politicians are rallying to play a part in the fight for the blue planet’s survival. And what better time to act than Earth Day, which is themed “Invest in Our Planet?”

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22 that’s dedicated to raising awareness and promoting environmental protection and sustainability. The global initiative encourages people around the world to raise awareness, promote sustainability and inspire long-term action to protect our planet and create a more sustainable future for generations to come.

The Importance of Water

One of the biggest plights facing humanity is clean water. The once-mighty Colorado River, for example, is in a clear state of crisis and can no longer supply the insatiable thirst of more than 40 million people and 5 million acres of farmland that rely on it for its lifeblood.

In California, where water resources are often limited due to frequent droughts and other environmental factors, cannabis cultivation has raised concerns about water usage and its potential impact on local supplies, ecosystems and sustainability.

Cannabis is a water-intensive crop and, unless it’s being cultivated with sustainable techniques such as dry farming, it requires significant amounts of water for optimal growth. A 2021 study reviewing the environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation found that, on average, a cannabis plant consumes an estimated six gallons of water per day during cultivation (June-October).

Stiiizy, one of California’s leading cannabis brands, is doing something about this crisis for Earth Day 2023.

Stiiizy Partners with LA Waterkeepers

As part of its Joint Efforts good works program, Stiiizy has joined forces with the non-profit organization LA Waterkeepers by sponsoring a community cleanup along the banks of the Los Angeles River to directly impact the residents of LA’s Atwater Village neighborhood. Employee volunteers from Stiiizy will work with LA Waterkeepers’ crew to remove plastic debris and other pollutants from the Los Angeles River’s banks and nearby regions. Together, more than 180 volunteers from both groups will take part in a significant cleanup operation.

To guarantee that Angelenos continue to have access to clean water, LA Waterkeepers has successfully combined litigation, science and community activism for more than half a century. In order to further this ambitious objective, the foundation prioritizes advocating for necessary adjustments to the way the public handles water. The outcome speaks for itself: Los Angeles County is investing some $20 billion in water infrastructure over the next two decades due to these decades-long efforts.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Stiiizy’s Joint Efforts program is led by the company’s Director of Social Impact, DeRon Waller, who says the initiative was born out of a commitment to service that permeates through the company’s ethos and says that Joint Efforts has the “backbone of unity and service. Our CEO and founder is a military veteran and like most veterans, even after the uniform comes off, service remains a driving factor in life. When we were building out this program, I knew I didn’t have to fight and plead my case as to why this was important, but rather how we’d go about doing it,” he says.

The Joint Efforts program, according to Waller, emphasizes the shared ideals that cannabis supporters hold most near to their hearts, whether it be through the organization of food and toy drives, the provision of homes for in-need families, planting trees, the restoration of parks or, of course, fundraising.

“The organizations that we partner with oftentimes receive more support from our huge network in the form of donors and volunteers, simply through word-of-mouth,” he says. “We like to focus on partnering with community organizations that are working tirelessly to defend and improve the environment here in Los Angeles. LA Waterkeepers has been at it for years, and a lot of our employees are from the surrounding neighborhoods where this impact project is taking place, so it made perfect sense for us to reach out and propose an Earth Day 2023 partnership. Our team is excited to be doing something so close to home with this project.” 

Keep it Local

Waller’s advice to other cannabis brands who want to get involved with their communities is direct and effective.

“Being intentional means to treat your community involvement like an investment, not a gift,” Waller says. “If you want to do business and provide plant medicine in any community you should get to know that community first. Every community is different and has different needs. We can’t presume we have all the answers. In our industry, we’re still facing an uphill battle against negative perceptions, stereotypes and stigma from years of prohibition and misleading propaganda. If we really want to reach that promised land of federal rescheduling and national legalization, then the onus is on us to demonstrate why cannabis deserves it and we can accomplish that by showing the positive impact of the plant.”