Jun

Plastic Alternatives— Yep, They Grow on Trees!

by Janine Boylan on June 17, 2013

pile of Styrofoam outside the Tokyo Fish Market, showing the need for innovative ideas to create plastic alternatives

Pile of discarded polystyrene outside the Tokyo Fish Market
© Daniel Calonge

Innovative Ideas for Biodegradable Plastic

Our world has become dependent on plastic. It’s in my toothbrush, my shoes, my sunglasses, and even the keys I type on.

And it won’t go away.

For decades, plastic has been made from petroleum, and, once formed into a plastic cup, packing material, grocery bag, or toothbrush, the plastic is here to stay.

Lucky bits of plastic may get recycled into new products, but no matter its shape, petroleum-based plastic does not biodegrade. That means, in some form, that plastic will be on this planet long after every single one of us reading this post is gone.

In addition, according to the Technical Research Center of Finland, petroleum-based plastic annually consumes about 5% of the world’s oil. And of all the plastics used, about 40% of it goes into packaging.

Oh, I see—we can’t sustain this!

Thankfully, innovators are developing biodegradable plastic alternatives, and they are turning to some surprising sources.

Fungus

College classmates Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre were fascinated with fungal mycelium, the network of tiny tube-like filaments from which mushrooms grow and get nutrients. They noticed how, when mycelium grows, it is so intertwined that it bonds things together.

mushrooms, illustrating a source of innovative ideas for plastic alternatives

Networks of mushroom filaments called mycelium help decompose plant materials.
© Thinkstock

Now several years later, their company, Ecovative Designs, develops packaging materials with mycelium.

mushroom packaging, illustrating innovative ideas for plastic alternatives

Mushroom packaging
© Ecovative

First they grind up local agricultural waste like stalks and husks.
Then they mix the ground material with water and mycelium and put it into forms, or molds, to shape it.
In five days, the mycelium grows around the waste in the shape of the mold.
Next, they dry out the newly-formed material so it no longer grows.
And then it’s ready for packing and shipping!

This alternative to polystyrene is not only strong and light, but it is fire retardant. And, once the materials have served their purpose, they can be easily composted.

This short documentary tells a bit more of their story.

If the video does not display, watch it here. Also, you can see Bayer give a longer TED talk here.

Chicken Feathers

People eat a lot of chicken. One by-product of this, whether we want to think about it or not, is billions of pounds of chicken feathers.

Chicken feathers are made of keratin, just like fingernails, hooves, and hair. And they are strong.

chicken feathers, illustrating an innovative idea for plastic alternatives

Chickens constantly shed their feathers, just like cats and dogs shed fur.
© Thinkstock

Walter Schmidt has spent decades thinking about how to use those feathers to make useful products.

And one product he’s been working on is an everyday biodegradable flowerpot.

How do feathers become flowerpots?

First the hard central quill shaft of the feather is separated from the softer fibers.
The fibers are ground into powder and combined with a naturally-occurring polymer.
The resulting combination is then formed into plastic pots.

The benefits are many! This chicken-feather plastic is light, can be heated and reshaped, and will not instantly dissolve in water. But it is also strong and biodegradable.

Best of all, the flowerpots can be planted into the ground where they will decompose and provide nutrients for the soil.

Schmidt notes, “Stuff floats around in the ocean [or] is mixed in landfills that stay there for generations. A far better solution is to make less mess in the first place and to have that material naturally recycle in a reasonable amount of time.”

chicken feather flowerpots, illustrating innovative ideas for plastic alternatives

Chemist Masud Huda (background), chemist Walter Schmidt (center),
and Marc Teffeau, (right), produce biodegradable flowerpots from chicken feathers.
Photo by Stephen Ausmus

Tree Resin

Chuanbing Tang is turning to the trees for his inspiration. He and his team are experimenting with evergreen tree resin to produce a plastic.

resin, illustrating an innovative idea for potential biodegradable plastic

When a conifer tree is wounded, it produces liquid resin that hardens and protects the damage.
© Thinkstock

Resin has been used for ages as a protective seal. Artifacts from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome have been found with resin-based finishes. Today, it is used in varnishes and adhesives. But using it to form plastic is a newer idea.

“Most plastics from non-renewable resources are generally not biodegradable,” Tang said. “With a polymer framework derived from renewable sources, we’re able to make materials that should break down more readily in the environment.”

Hope for the Future

Oh, I see. Plastic alternatives, created from mushrooms, feathers, and tree resin, will biodegrade, or break down, making these innovative ideas sustainable.

Sounds like my toothbrush doesn’t have to be around for my great grandchildren after all.

To hear scientist Paul Stamets discuss six ways mushrooms can save the world and to see a mycelium network, visit “Livin’ in a Mycelia World.”

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Janine Boylan 2 Comments

Innovations/Making a Difference/The World's Entrepreneurs

May

Life-Changing Experiences of A Royal Molecatcher

by Meredith Mullins on May 9, 2013

Jérôme Dormion, at work in Versailles, with shovel, traps, and molehills in his job as Royal Molecatcher, full of life-changing experiences.

Molecatcher to the King, Jérôme Dormion, at work at Versailles
© Meredith Mullins

The Versailles Version of Whack-A-Mole

Is becoming a molecatcher one of those life-changing experiences?

For Jérôme Dormion, the answer is a resounding and royal yes.

Jérôme has a great job. He goes to work at a palace. He gets free reign over the Versailles grounds, one of the most beautiful landscapes in France. And, as if that weren’t enough, he is honored with the official title: “Molecatcher to the King.”

Palace of Versailles, where Royal Molecatcher, Jérôme Dormion, has his life-changing experiences.

The Palace of Versailles, a 17th century expression of “the good life” by Louis XIV
© Meredith Mullins

The History of the Versailles Molecatchers

The French kings are long dead, but the palace of Versailles (just west of Paris) lives on in royal splendor, visited by more than six million people every year.

Ever since Louis XIV hired the first molecatcher 330 years ago, the job of “Molecatcher to the King” has been a coveted position.

The job went from father to son for more than 200 years, until one son was too much of a party animal for Napoleon’s taste. That son, the last of the lineage, was fired, and the job went on the open market. Fast forward 100 years . . .

Jérôme Dormion stands alone in a field at Versailles, part of the life-changing experiences of being a Royal Molecatcher.

It’s a little lonely being the Molecatcher to the King, especially when you’re
one molecatcher in 2000 acres of land.
© Meredith Mullins

The Lone Molecatcher

Jérôme Dormion is the newest member of this elite club. He’s responsible for keeping the palace grounds free of the unsightly molehills that can pockmark the rolling green lawns and soft forest floors. That means 2000 acres of mole-free territory—no easy feat for a lone molecatcher.

For Jérôme, it’s a noble challenge. He brings to the job a respect for the mole’s ability to evade humans as well as a respect for the environment.

Mole peeking out from molehill, waiting to be caught by the Royal Molecatcher at Versailles, life-changing experiences for both.

Clever and hardworking, the mole pits his intelligence against the mole catcher.
© iStockphoto

Survival of the Smartest

Moles are intelligent. They’re also workaholics. They’re full of energy and don’t even take time to hibernate like their other mammal comrades.

They dig for worms/sleep/dig for worms/sleep in four-hour cycles, with a brief time out for procreation every spring, producing four or five young (technically called “pups” but I like to call them molettes).

With their five-digit digging hands that look a little like Mickey Mouse’s formal white gloves, they can burrow 18 feet an hour, flinging their dirt above ground in unsightly mounds throughout their “territory.”

A molecatcher has to be at the top of his game.

Must We Declare War?

In Jérôme’s book about moles (a bestseller in France), he asks an egalitarian question “Is cohabitation possible? Must we declare war?”

A field of molehills, work for the Royal Molecatcher, a job full of life-changing experiences.

The answer, regretfully, is that moles cause numerous problems—destroying plant roots, creating cave-ins of earth, inviting in other pests and bacteria, and, of course, destroying the beauty of well-manicured lawns and gardens.

And so, war it is.

For those of us who have had mole problems in our own garden, we know how frustrating the mole’s invasion (and evasion) can be.

We no doubt look like fools to them (and perhaps to our curious human neighbors), sledgehammering molehills, lighting firecrackers, flooding tunnels with water, or using chewing gum, garlic, or cayenne pepper. The moles are probably rolling their (little) eyes every time we try something new.

Enter the Expert: The Molecatcher to the King

At Versailles, there are no longer any natural predators (wildcats and weasels), so it’s important to keep the population in check.

Jérôme is unique, not just because he is Molecatcher to the King, but because he uses traps designed in the 1600s—appropriate for the 17th-century palace, but also environmentally sound.

Mole trap for the Versailles Royal Molecatcher, Jérôme Dormion, part of his life-changing experiences.

No poisons. No toxic gases. A quick death for the mole. No killing of the beneficial garden allies. The ecosystem of the garden is preserved.

The traditional traps that Jérôme uses are just three ingenious pieces of metal, “a bit like a guillotine,” he says smiling. They snap together to break the mole’s neck.

To place the traps correctly, Jerome studies the patterns of the earth and the habits of these clever escape artists. It’s a puzzle to be solved. Who can outsmart whom.

Jérôme Dormion pulls a trap from the tunnel, one of the life-changing experiences of the Royal Molecatcher.

Only the Mensa moles manage to escape. One mole eluded Jérôme for three months. But in the end, well, suffice it to say: man over mole.

A Gentleman and a Molecatcher

It is true that Jérôme’s life experiences changed when he became Molecatcher to the King. He’s well known in the molecatching world and continues to provide innovation and environmental care in this unique niche.

His network of environmental molecatchers (Taup’ Green) spreads over France and is expanding to other countries.

Jérôme Dormion sets a mole trap at Versailles Palace, just one of the life-changing experiences of the Royal Molecatcher.

But many of the life-changing experiences in this mole story were mine.

I met a person who is a real master at his job—generous with his knowledge and passionate about protecting the environment.
I got to ride around like a queen in the “molemobile” on the beautiful back roads of Versailles with the one and only “Molecatcher to the King.” A celebrity—charming and humble despite his royal title.

And then there was that “Oh, I See Moment.”

I was reminded that every problem has a solution, even if it seems overwhelming.

So . . . best not to make mountains out of molehills.

(You saw that coming, didn’t you?)

For more on mole-catching, see Jérôme’s book Le Piégeage Traditionnel des Taupes (Traditional Mole Traps).

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 2 Comments

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