Living the Dream: Kolbe Rose

After four years in the retail side of Alaska’s cannabis industry, I look at many things much differently than I used to. Now, as I walk down store aisles I peer at branding, packaging and displays, looking for things that catch the eye, things that don’t, and what I, as a consumer, gravitate toward naturally.

As director of sales and a co-owner of The Stoney Moose, a company that very much values sustainability and keeping our business as green as possible, the conversation always goes back to earth-friendly packaging. We want to package our products in something that won’t be clogging up landfills for the next 500 years. In my opinion, the carbon footprint left by the industry as a whole is something that needs to be discussed in depth among folks in the world of legal marijuana. The cannabis industry creates an incredible amount of waste with our packaging materials, considering not only how many different products need packaging but the rigid requirements for child-proofing and other mandates, so we often end up using much more material than many other industries.

I am extremely proud to report that after two years of being in business, we moved to almost 100% biodegradable packaging at The Stoney Moose and Stoney Moose Kitchens, and two years later we are still strong in our conviction to stay as green as possible.

Sana Packaging, out of Colorado, was the first vendor I saw at any trade show offering 100% hemp plastic and ocean plastic (recycled plastic that was harvested out of the ocean) in both joint tubes and boxes for flower packaging. After meeting a Sana representative at the MJBizCon in 2018, I immediately ordered a pallet of hemp tubes to be barged up to Alaska so that I could feel good about the packaging The Stoney Moose was putting out into the world.

Since we opened Stoney Moose Kitchens, we have never used anything but biodegradable packaging. Living in Alaska, in such a wild and pristine part of the world, not to mention being right on the ocean, this issue is very much at the forefront of my mind. Considering that 5.25 trillion macro and micro pieces of plastic are in our ocean (46,000 pieces in every square mile), it’s important to me as a business owner to avoid contributing to the problem. This is something I take very seriously, and I strongly encourage all other cannabis business owners to do the same. As much as I love to make money, I don’t mind paying the extra 10 to 25 cents (or even a whole dollar sometimes!) on each unit to make the right choice.

Our first responsibility is to the earth, and as the cannabis industry is plant-based and we glean our bounty from a healthy planet, it is our duty to show up responsibly and take care of our home.