Keeping fragile items safe with environmentally friendly fungus grown into packing material. Entrepreneur's green vision aims to put Styrofoam out of business.
http://www.pbs.org/nbr/site/features/special/archives/environment_planet_forw...
TOM HUDSON: Along with all the wrapping paper and cardboard boxes left over from Christmas, you may have thrown out some Styrofoam packing peanuts. But that Styrofoam will stay in landfills for hundreds of years. Tonight we continue our partnership with "Planet Forward," the George Washington University social media project using your ideas to change the future. Frank Sesno considers what if you could pack stuff in a material that`s cheap, more environmentally friendly and made from mushrooms?
FRANK SESNO, PROF., GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Eben Bayer is the portrait of the young, idealistic entrepreneur. On "Planet Forward," Bayer talked about his big idea, which he developed as an undergrad studying mechanical engineering. Bayer thinks he can transform an industry, reduce energy consumption and make money. Instead of using petroleum, Bayer`s company uses agricultural waste. We wanted to see for ourselves. Could this really mushroom into a business that could make a difference? We visited the plant outside Albany, New York and Eben Bayer showed us around.
EBEN BAYER, CEO, ECOVATIVE DESIGN: Our business model is to transform these low-value wastes into something with value. We do that by binding them together and adding a shape.
SESNO: They mix seed husks with a cultured fungus and pour it all into molds. You mix these mushroom roots with the seed husks and the mushroom roots grow around the seed husks and bind it like a glue. It`s spongy and it`s cold. It`s alive. The end product, packaging materials.
BAYER: It smells like you`re baking bread.
SESNO: .used to ship everything from keyboards to couches. The secret sauce, the natural glue-like substance from fungus called mycelium is highly adaptable. College classmate and co-founder, Gavin McIntyre, took us into the lab. Anything I shouldn`t be breathing or doing here?
GAVIN MCINTYRE, CHIEF SCIENTIST, ECOVATIVE DESIGN: No, we`re wearing these garments in order to protect the fungus.
SESNO: They`re more important than we are.
McINTYRE: We`ve gone out into nature and we`ve isolated our own types of fungi, colonization or growth rate is really important to us.
SESNO: This idea, like so many, is built on risk, research and passion.
BAYER: I wanted to create something that had radically less energy per unit volume than plastic. The biggest drawback with plastic is it takes so much energy to make and takes so long to get rid of. This has a fraction of the energy, requires waste feed stocks and has no negative impact on the planet when you dispose of it.
SESNO: Bayer demonstrates one of the product`s biggest advantages. Bayer estimates polystyrene used in everything from packing materials to surf boards and coffee cups, is a $20 billion a year industry. His business plan? Ramp up this facility, open a much bigger one in the next 18 to 36 months and do a lot of licensing. So if you`re successful and your vision comes to pass, 10 years from now what does the world look like?
BAYER: A significant amount of disposable packaging is made using natural solutions like this. We think we can do all the Styrofoam that`s use for heavy goods.
SESNO: You`re going to put Styrofoam out of business?
BAYER: That`s one of our visions is get rid of the toxic white stuff.
SESNO: At this stage, the business has a lot to prove before turning a profit. But, Bayer says his product is cost-competitive and is gaining customers. He exudes confidence and determination. After all, this innovator is just 26 years old. How can bio products, like Ecocradle have an impact? What other types of materials can they replace? We`re looking for your ideas, experiences, innovations, voices and videos at planetforward.org. I`m Frank Sesno.
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Empire State Building Goes Green | Nightly Business Report | PBS | Planet Forwardby PBS4,247 views
@voyeurdug This is a total waste (cough) of time ,investment and money.This buffoon could not supply large runs of packaging and the end cost would be significantly higher than styrene/styrofoam. He's a con artist at worst and a deluded crank at best. The only way forward for biodegradable products is, Polylactic/starch based products.
TheLordMilton 4 months ago
@ghost61982 .He is scaring no one as he will never be able to sustain large runs.
TheLordMilton 4 months ago
This is a total waste (cough) of time ,investment and money.This buffoon could not supply large runs of packaging and the end cost would be significantly higher than styrene/styrofoam. He's a con artist at worst and a deluded crank at best. The only way forward for biodegradable products is, Polylactic/starch based products.
TheLordMilton 4 months ago
I Believe This Was A Video Clip Of PBS-TV's Nightly Business Report's Planet Forward Report On Biodegradable Packaging On Thursday Evening, December 30, 2010.
radiodj1520 5 months ago
Some organic (completely biodegradable) alternative could ~probably~ be found to replace the ubiquitous plastic grocery store bags. For instance... what happens to the fiber from non-food crops (like switchgrass) used for biofuels? Or, the fiber from food crops (say, corn) used for high-fructose corn syrup?
For that matter, having uses for ag byproducts could spur bringing marginal land back into production, spurring rural employment.
voyeurdug 1 year ago
I just hope the elites dont get to him.
Amishprn86 1 year ago
Way to think outside the box! Im down.
SxxyPnkRckr 1 year ago
The problem now is that you have to grow enough of it to use as many by the millions ... now how many can you grow? How much space do you need to grown this? How much nature will be hurt to grow more mushrooms?
ChappyCave 1 year ago
I'm all for it! But what about allergy concerns?
Verde830 1 year ago
This business is going to be very very successful.
IsRens 1 year ago