Most of the time, having fungus or mold of any kind in your home is a big, big problem. But not so for inventors Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre. Together they have created an organic insulation made from mushrooms. Both graduates of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, they combined Bayer’s knowledge of mushroom harvesting and McIntyre’s interest in product design to create a patented technology called “Greensulate”—a fire-retardant board made of water, flour, and oyster mushrooms. Although the technology is still in development and estimated to be more than a year from release to the market, a one inch thick panel of the substance has a 2.9 R-value. By way of comparison, commercially available insulation has an R-value between 2.7 to 3.7 per inch. And unlike other insulating products, which are made of recycled products, Greensulate differs in that the product is organically grown.
Eco-building with Mushrooms
