Plastic-eating mushrooms?!

These hungry fungi are helping rid the planet of plastic waste. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   [Photo of a 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 just be in the ocean forever. Right now 91% of plastics we use can’t be recycled -- and every minute a truckload-worth is dumped in the ocean, suffocating sea life and spreading pollutants across shores. But scientists say these mushrooms could eat up to half of the plastic waste being dumped in the ocean -- and they need your help to finish their groundbreaking research. Scientist Dr Cullings is retiring from NASA this year to join the nonprofit Ocean Blue Project in their work to isolate and reproduce plastic-eaters for industrial use. They have projects planned in the US and New Zealand that need funding. If 5000 of us chip in, we can pay for the lab equipment they need to finish their research -- and help rid the planet of plastic waste. Are you in? [Chip in $1]( in 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 using these crafty microbes to try and break down all types of plastics to make them possible to recycle and reuse -- and it’s working. {NAME}, we could finally get rid of 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 say there will 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 the environment. They have big ambitions in the war on plastic waste, but lab equipment, field materials, and research time don’t come cheap -- and they rely on donations to do this work. It’s not often we can make a dent in the world’s plastic pollution -- and this pioneering research could be one of the boldest solutions we’ve been waiting for. Will you be one of the 5000 donors we need to buy this lab equipment and support this crucial research to help eliminate plastic waste? [Chip in $1]( in another amount]( P.S. Industrial-scale use of plastic-eaters is already being trialled in France and Australia. With your help we could advance this research and give the planet a fighting chance to breathe again. Every extra penny we raise will support our campaigning to end plastic pollution. [Chip in $1]( in another amount]( Thanks for all that you do, Yasmin and the SumOfUs team --------------------------------------------------------------- More information: [How a Plastic-Eating Enzyme is Helping Fight Plastic Pollution](. Ocean Blue Project. 14 December 2020. [The Race To Develop Plastic-Eating Bacteria](. Forbes. 10 March 2021. [The fungus and bacteria tackling plastic waste](. BBC. 30 July 2021. [New super-enzyme eats plastic bottles six times faster](. The Guardian. 28 September 2020. [A whopping 91% of plastic isn't recycled](. National Geographic. 20 December 2018.  [Enzyme-based plastics recycling is more energy efficient, better for environment](. Tech Explore. 20 July 2021. [Plastic-eating enzymes trialled in Australian first to create infinitely recyclable plastic](. News.com.au. 21 September 2021. [Carbios launches industrial demonstration plant for its unique enzymatic recycling technology](. Carbios. 29 September 2021.   SumOfUs 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]( user.email|default:) Â