Last time I talked about Mushroom houses was when I watched cartoons. Ok, ok I still watch cartoons. Point is I never thought about using mushrooms to make my home. On the other hand, Eben Bayer a soon to be graduate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is trying to do it. Using mushroom spores Eben has developed a process to add insulation value and possibly even strong “growable” homes. According to CCNews,

“A dual major in mechanical engineering and product design and innovation, Bayer has developed an environmentally friendly organic insulation. The patented combination of water, flour, minerals, and mushroom spores could replace conventional foam insulations, which are expensive to produce and harmful to the environment.

“The insulation is created by pouring a mixture of insulating particles, hydrogen peroxide, starch, and water into a panel mold,” Bayer says. “Mushroom cells are then injected into the mold, where they digest the starch producing a tightly meshed network of insulating particles and mycelium. The end result is an organic composite board that has a competitive R-Value – a measurement of resistance to heat flow – and can serve as a firewall.”