Hungry fungi

Some mushrooms can devour plastic waste in a matter of weeks! ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   [Whale shark about to swallow a plastic bag floating in the ocean](  {NAME}, How amazing is this -- scientists have discovered mushrooms that can devour plastic waste in a matter of weeks...plastic that would otherwise remain in the ocean forever. Right now 91% of the plastics we use can’t be recycled, and every minute another truckloads-worth is dumped into the ocean, suffocating sea life and spreading pollutants across shores. But scientists say these magnificent mushrooms could eat up to half of the plastic waste being dumped in the ocean. They're asking for our help to continue their groundbreaking research, and together we could give them the funds they need right away to expand their research in the US and New Zealand. NASA scientist Dr Cullings recently retired to join the innovative nonprofit Ocean Blue Project in their work to isolate and reproduce organic plastic-eaters for industrial use. The team is ready to go, and if 7000 of us donate they'll have enough to buy the lab and field equipment they need to continue their research -- and help rid the planet of plastic waste. Are you in? [Donate $3 now]( another amount]( Fungi, like mushrooms and yeast, are nature’s cleanup crew. The enzymes they produce can break down pollutants and clean up everything from oil spills to toxic pesticides. Nearly all the plastic ever created still exists in some form today. So scientists are researching how to use these crafty microbes to try and break down all types of plastics and also ways to make them possible to recycle and reuse -- and so far it’s working. {NAME}, we could actually start to make a dent in the world's plastic waste! But we need more research to do this on a bigger scale, and we need to move fast. Plastic production is increasing rapidly. By 2050, studies report there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish, but we can change that. Ocean Blue Project and Dr Ken Cullings have been at the forefront of using fungi to clean up environmental disasters. They have big ambitions in the war on plastic waste, but lab equipment, field materials, and research time are expensive -- and they rely on donations to do this work. It’s not often we can contribute to work that could make a dent in the world’s plastic pollution. This pioneering research could be one of the bold solutions we’ve all been waiting for. Can you be one of the 7000 donors we need to support this crucial research to eliminate plastic waste? [Donate $3 now]( another amount]( Industrial-scale use of plastic-eaters is already being trialled in France and Australia. With your help we could advance this research, but we know there is so much more to do if we want to solve the plastics crisis. That’s why any extra raised will go to support our campaigning, including campaigns to reduce plastic production, which is the #1 way to curb plastic pollution, and pressure governments to pass laws that support lasting solutions to address plastic pollution. Thanks for all that you do, Yasmin and the team at Ekō --------------------------------------------------------------- More information: [Fungi Eating Plastic Research Nonprofits](. Ocean Blue Project. [Plastic-eating backyard fungi discovery boosts hopes for a solution to the recycling crisis](. ABC. 14 April 2023. [Oyster mushrooms expected to break down toxins and microplastics in cigarette butts in Australian trial](. The Guardian. 15 March 2023. [The Untapped Potential of the Amazon’s Plastic-Eating Mushroom](. Earth.org. 07 September 2022. [The fungus and bacteria tackling plastic waste](. BBC. 30 July 2021. [Plastic-eating enzymes trialled in Australian first to create infinitely recyclable plastic](. News.com.au. 21 September 2021. [New super-enzyme eats plastic bottles six times faster](. The Guardian. 28 September 2020.   Ekō is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy. This email was sent to {EMAIL}. | [Unsubscribe]( Â