Sustainable development blog : ecology and humanitarian aid

Petroleum based, synthetic plastics are a real problem for our environment and our health. As an example, many of the disposable products we use every day like coffee cups and fast food packages are made from styrofoam, a chemical, polystyrene foam product that persists in the environment for thousands of years. As do all plastics, including those containing bisphenol-A (BPA) found in water and baby feeding bottles that have been linked to health problems like reproductive disorders and increased risk of breast cancer. So there are some pretty compelling reasons for trying to find alternatives to plastics for everything from packaging to toys. One company, Ecovative Design, based in Green Island, New York has one such alternative; a product called MycoBond. Check out this video by the designer of the product, Eden Bayer.

MycoBond is an all-natural polymer that is created using the natural decomposition process of a compound present in mushrooms that bonds together agricultural wastes, like straw and corn husks, to make a strong, fibrous material, which is totally biodegradable. The resulting products, which take just five days to make, can have untold uses, from packaging materials, insulation and fire-proof walls to building materials.

And it’s a relatively simple manufacturing process that could be done anywhere to produce local materials, using excess bi-products from farming, which many farmers see as a nuisance and don’t know what to do with.

What a triumph for fungi!