Our planet is covered in plastics that take thousands of years to decompose and are clogging up our oceans and landfills. While the convenience of online ordering and shipping, especially during Covid, has been beneficial for consumers, it’s compounding an already monumental waste problem.
Tylin Burton and Chris Larson from Precision Organics are participating in the Cleantech challenge with a commitment to making a real impact on the environment. “I think it is extremely important that if you have the privilege, if you have the ability, the know-how, and the passion to do something for the environment, I think it's almost a requirement of being human right now in our day and age (to do something),” notes Tylin.
Precision Organics plans to replace petroleum based packaging material with a more environmentally friendly alternative – mushrooms.
“We'd like to replace Styrofoam packaging with a biodegradable option,” says Chris. We're starting with replacing the little corners of styrofoam, but eventually, if the project is sustainable, it would be nice to venture into other forms of packaging, replacing other non-biodegradable products with our mycelium.”
As a small business owner, Tylin felt morally conflicted about shipping her products in packaging that she knew was going to degrade the environment. So when Chris proposed the idea of an alternative biomaterial as the subject of their Cleantech project, it connected with her deeply. This was the inspiration for Precision Organics, the genesis for the idea of using mushroom plastics to replace styrofoam petroleum based plastics. “I just thought it was a really great opportunity, and I felt like it was my responsibility to explore it, '' reflects Tylin.
Precision Organics is bringing to the competition a physical, tangible product that is easily scalable and fills a distinct gap in the market. Chris and Tylin know there are many different properties of mushrooms that are just beginning to be discovered, creating endless opportunities for the use of mycelium spores or mycelium growth. Their biggest challenge? Choosing the medium that they are going to grow the mushrooms on.
“Mushrooms can grow on so many different mediums like straw, bark, dust, or even plastic,” says Tylin. “There's like 50 different kinds of mushrooms that can decompose plastics. Right now we're just experimenting with all the different types of mediums. There are so many opportunities for exploration.” The team hopes to grow their mushroom-based product partially out of recycled plastics, converting these plastics into a 100% biodegradable product as part of a recycling pipeline.
Chris’ background is on the mechanical engineering side, which is his major at Portland State University. Tylin describes herself as an artist, environmentalist, and scientist, and she is currently studying at Portland Community College with plans to finish her bachelor’s degree in biology at Portland State University. Both team members feel their different expertise is a benefit to their invention. “It allows us to separate out the roles – I try to focus more on figuring out how we're going to press the molds, and Tylin is mainly focused on growing the mycelium and figuring out which mediums would be best,” says Chris.
Tylin is positive about the future of Precision Organics, both for the product they are making and the environmental benefits it will bring. “I foresee our products going far and actually making an impact in an industry that really needs it,” she says. “I think if you have the ability to contribute to a solution, it is your responsibility to do so.”