A Box Full of Surprises

Most product companies try to keep varying types of fungi from being shipped with their product... ecovative design, a New York-based company is doing the opposite - they want to ship your product WITH fungi.

EcoCradle Packaging is an innovative alternative to the decidedly un-ecofriendly use of polystyrene, packing peanuts, plastic bubble wrap, and paper-based "filler" materials you're often stuck with when you unpack your delivered package.

That's because ecovative design's packaging material is grown. That's right, grown, with vegetative hulls. In just 7 days, miles of mycelia (mushroom roots, if you will) are produced, harvested, molded into a packing shape, and ready to accompany your favorite internet order.

Now I'll be the first to admit that this sounds suspiciously like the beginning of quite a few monster movies. Some crazy scientists (or government agency) holed up somewhere, discover a new process for doing something they think will help mankind... a beaker spills, a lightning storm, and BOOM!, you've got blood gushing everywhere and teenage couple being slaughtered in the woods.

So I contacted ecovative and requested a sample (for the good of mankind, of course). It arrived the other day, and though it wasn't a large sample, you can definitely see where they're going with this.

The mycelial "chunk" is light, surprisingly sturdy (I can pinch it between my thumb and forefinger... I hear a slight crackling sound, but I can't shatter it) and is somewhat attractive (as fungi goes). Both my wife and I did the same thing after first eyeing it... we smelled it. I mean if it were to smell like a old sock in a waterlogged basement, you probably wouldn't want your brand new Amazon package smelling like it, but was pleasantly surprised that it didn't smell like anything.

It's appearance reminds me of the Oyster Mushroom kit I buy once a year for the home school classes I teach (minus the actual mushrooms of course.)

The sample that I was sent was too small to actually use for packing material, but I did take a picture of one of my rubber apes in the box with it. I wouldn't hesitate at all sending Stamp Ape (well, that's his name) through the mail with this stuff. (Actually for now, it'll act as a nice little table for when he has his other ape friends over.)

With a recent article in Scientific American, and a nod as one of the 100 best innovations of 2009 by Popular Science, it appears this melding of fungi and sustainability may be in a box heading your way. You may want to peruse their website to get the full picture. My favorite part is from their FAQ:

Q. Can you eat it?

A. Well, you could, and because it's all natural it wouldn't hurt you. But, it's non-nutritious and doesn't taste very good, so we don't recommend it.