My project addresses the problem of plastic waste and its effect on our climate as its production and consumption greatly contribute to the CO2 emissions in our atmosphere and the demise of our planet’s environment. My goal is to successfully use Mycelium, the root structure of a mushroom, as an alternative for plastic packaging, as well as an architectural material to consume the CO2 polluting our atmosphere. According to grocycle.com “Mycelium consists of thousands of delicate, thread-like hyphae that join together to form an underground network of long fibers that grow through organic matter and obtain nutrients.” “Mushroom mycelium is the longest-living part of a fungus. It can remain dormant for several years, waiting for the right conditions to produce mushrooms and reproduce.”
Mycelium has many benefits as a packaging material. One of the most important aspects is that it is all natural and entirely compostable, unlike plastic which takes hundreds of years to decompose and uses a lot of fossil fuels to create. Mycelium products are the future.