In 1981, a cartoon adaption of a Belgian comic book series about little blue beings that dwell deep in the forest, nestled safely inside tiny mushroom homes, debuted to the world. This show, called The Smurfs, went on to give rise to a whole universe based around its characters… it’s still beloved today. And, just like the saying goes, life is once again imitating art.
That’s because scientists have imagined a world where we too find our way into the safety and shelter of the mushroom. The idea is to use mushrooms to create a sustainable building material that’s not only stronger than concrete, but that we can eat. American architecture company Red House has partnered with NASA and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Bits and Atoms on this endeavor.
Asking yourself why mushrooms? Let us tell you… because the mushroom has more than one magic quality. Mushrooms are a type of fungus, which are distinctly different from plants, animals, and other organisms. The mushroom that you see above ground develops from the underground, vegetative part of a fungus called mycelium. It’s this mycelium that could allow for the above scenario to come to fruition.
That’s because mycelium consists of a network of thread-like structures that act as support inside plants. As you know, cable-type structures tend to be incredibly strong. So strong that our own military has used special, braided steel cables (called arresting wires) to help bring returning aircraft landing on the decks of aircraft carriers back to a complete stop. This mycelium is a building block for our imagined, edible mushroom home.
Seems mushrooms are incredibly versatile, and we’re learning just how much so. We’re talking automated mushroom cultivation systems equipped with software to increase yields and reduce waste, the development of new mushroom varieties suited to urban living, the rise of mushroom packaging that’s easy on the earth, mushroom-based water filters, new mushroom-based medications… just to name a few.
Folks are getting the idea and cashing in by trading in their desks for overalls and a mushroom farm. Companies like Denver-area FarmBox Foods, which offers a turnkey mushroom farming system. They aim to bring mushroom farming to the masses, especially new folks. You get an insulated shipping container brimming with everything needed to grow lots of gourmet mushrooms… they even train you.
Once you are ready to fly solo, you can then grow a variety of mushrooms all year. Coming in at around 320 square feet, these fully equipped little farms can potentially generate more than $1 million in profits over ten years. These containers aren’t just for would-be enthusiasts. They have to potential to help eliminate food deserts and help folks get independent… those are attractive propositions.
One company headquartered in Green Island, New York, called Ecovative Design, is betting on mycelium, using it to create sustainable materials… and they’ve built relationships with the likes of Patagonia, Ford, Adidas, and others to help bring their sustainable textile and foam products to the public. Started less than 20 years ago, the company has made a name for itself as the first to introduce mycelium materials as a commercial category.
Mushrooms can not only be made into things, but they can be used to “unmake” other things… like construction waste… which we have tons of (landfills are already at 85% capacity). How does it work? Well… like a catfish, mushrooms will eat anything. So, we train them to eat built environment sector trash. That means petroleum-derived chemicals too. A company called Mycocycle is working to do just that.
As if all that wasn’t enough, scientists have recently announced that certain types of fungus store over 35% of air pollution underground and can be used as a natural solution to harmful air. In a report published by England’s Sheffield University, researchers describe how plants turn air pollution into sugars. Then, fungi entwined with the roots of those plants feed on the sugar. Seems like the sky is the limits when it comes to mushrooms… see you next week for more from the green tech space.