Eben Bayer's sustainable plastic
I’ve been pondering the problem of plastics for the past few days and in my research I’ve discovered what some consider being the most menacing member of the plastic family.
Styrofoam.
Did you know that 20% of the waste in landfills is comprised of Styrofoam? I remember using this material at parties in grade school, at church brunches, and family gatherings. Styrofoam can support a whole meal, making cups, bowls, and plates. Not to mention my last computer came padded in Styrofoam packaging, and come to think of it, so did my TV.
Now consider this: Next time you sip out of a Styrofoam cup or take your new appliance out of the box, take a look at the white material in your hands. This packaging is going to last longer than you. When humans die, our bodies decompose and become part of the earth within the first 100 years. Any Styrofoam that you’ve encountered in your life will still be around long after you’ve been dead and buried.
It’s a disturbing thought. People talk about leaving behind a legacy. Is this the legacy of our generation?
Looking for something to reaffirm my faith in humanity I consulted TED Talks. Here I found Eben Bayer, a man who asks “Are Mushrooms the new plastic?”
Bayer says they could be. Using a part of the root system of mushrooms called Mycelium, Bayer and his collegues have been able to grow an insulating, fire resistant, vapor resistant alternative to plastic which can also absorb impact like Styrofoam. This organic material is compostable, which allows it to fit into the natural recycling system of the natural world. Bayer is proving that the great minds of our time are putting themselves to good use.
Sources:
http://www.ted.com/talks/eben_bayer_are_mushrooms_the_new_plastic.html
http://the-green-campaign.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-you-should-know-about-styrofoam.html
http://www.highcountryconservation.org/pdf/The%20Facts%20on%20Styrofoam.pdf
Images:
http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-images-styrofoam-cup-image14196359
http://www.motherboard.tv/2010/12/2/now-mushrooms-can-be-turned-into-plastic
Congratulations. One thing to keep in mind in switching to grbdebiadaole plates, cups, cutlery, etc is to ensure that you have a waste management system in place for this new refuse.Compostables are vastly superior to plastic and virgin-timber based materials for lots of reasons, not the least of which being that they are produce from renewable raw materials.The problem is that you have to have a system that segregates them from non-compostable material and ensures that they are actually composted. If your university is willing to invest in (or has) the infrastructure, you could probably do it all on site and solve lawn and leaf waste at the same time. The university could even sell finished compost to the local community to help offset costs and provide a benefit to local agriculture.This could be an opportunity for hands-on student learning for an Ag or Civil Engineering program.Biodegradable materials won’t degrade in landfills. They need to be composted in order to realize the ecological benefit. I think a university dining hall may be an ideal setting, since the food waste going into the garbage cans is already compostable and if you switch to all compostable plates, cups and utensils, and line the garbage cans with compostable bags, the whole bin is available for the process.