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Here’s an idea that uses fungi to self-assemble natural polymers by using agricultural waste. The green technology uses less energy and seems to be a competitive substitute to petroleum-based Styrofoam products. Via TED:

About this talk

Product designer Eben Bayer reveals his recipe for a new, fungus-based packaging material that protects fragile stuff like furniture, plasma screens — and the environment.

About Eben Bayer

Eben Bayer is co-inventor of MycoBond, an organic (really — it’s based on mycelium, a living, growing organism) adhesive that turns agriwaste into a foam-like material for packaging and insulation.

More on Mycobond™ via the U.S. National Science Foundation:

A packing material called Mycobond™, a composite of inedible agricultural waste and mushroom roots, grows itself. As a result, its manufacture requires just one eighth the energy and one tenth the carbon dioxide of traditional foam packing material. This time-lapse sequence shows a Mycobond™ packing component growing within a pre-designed mold.

Video: Replacing synthetics with natural composites

Video: Stop Global Warming by Growing Styrofoam with Fungi