Maya Elson first learned about the cleaning power of fungus in Olympia, Wash., a city she refers to as the mushroom capital of the universe. It was there she and friend Peter McCoy started a grassroots movement called Radical Mycology with an equally radical goal: teach communities how to use mycelium (the root-like component of mushrooms) to help clean polluted land and water.
Decomposing things with mushrooms is hardly new; people have used mycelium over the years to break down everything from diapers to bodies. But Maya is hoping to place this knowledge into the hands of people who need it most—and empower them to create change in their respective communities. Along with projects in the U.S., Radical Mycology is working with the Amazon Mycorenewal Project, which has been field testing the use of mushrooms to clean up oil spills in Lago Agrio, Ecuador since 2007.
Tag: Urban Pollution
What Would a City with No Plastic Bags Look Like?
On January 1, big stores in Los Angeles will no longer offer shoppers plastic bags at all, making it the biggest U.S. city to ban plastic bags. The law will help reduce pollution and encourage the use of reusable totes. And to help Angelinos get used to the idea, city officials have cooked up a plan to give out free reuseable bags. What I love about this LA Times story is how the city “teamed up with environmental and charity groups that work with veterans and former gang members to produce a line of bags made from recycled or repurposed materials.” This kind of city-civic partnership is a great example of bringing every one who cares about an issue to the table and coming up with solutions that offer something to everyone.