Think Green Live Clean

Photo Credit: Didier Bier

You think you know what mushrooms are? Sure, they peek through the grass in moist areas, are neatly packaged in plastic crates in grocery stores, and sometimes overcooked on pizza. Not exactly the life-changing ingredient imagined when you think of our current global situation. Nevertheless, if we take the time to look just a little closer, we learn that these tasty mushrooms are simply the fruiting body of mycelium, our true hero in this story, that make up an underground network of fibers with enormous planet-saving potential.

First off, to introduce you a little more to mycelium, let it be known that humans are more closely related to fungi than to any other kingdom of life. And it’s a pretty epic kingdom. Even though mycelium isn’t specifically the tasty cap you recognize, it plays a vital role in the decay of plant matter and, once it’s dried, has some stellar properties. It’s nontoxic, fire- and mold- and water-resistant, is more insulating than fiberglass, and, in a pound for pound test, is even stronger than concrete.

Yet, if we really want to understand the benefits of mycelium in context of the largest challenges of the 21st century, we need only look to Paul Stamets, mycelium extraordinaire. Stamets pushes the boundaries of traditional mycelia activities to applaud the many feats it can accomplish: happily decomposing petroleum waste from oil spills, acting as a biological filter to remove E.coli from downstream water of farms or factories, and even producing natural insecticides to prevent wood-eating pests from prevailing over, let’s say, the frame of your house.

And now people are catching on to bring mycelium solutions to the average Joe. An organic farm just outside Monterey, CA., is growing a “super-eco building material” made from mycelium with which they made the first structure made entirely of mushroom. Across the country in New York, a new company named Ecovative is creating a mycelium alternative to styrofoam, one of the only current alternatives that can be safely composted or mulched back into the soil. Next, the company plans on launching an alternative to home-insulation, and even testing mycelium strength as replacements for wood beams in construction.

So next time you spot a fungal friend in grass, know that the mycelium below may be one of the biggest forces on your side to help combat pollution, habitat destruction, disease and, well, hunger.

To find out more, visit Time magazine’s article on Industrial Strenth Fungus

Or listen to Paul Stamets himself describe mycelium in action.