Eben Bayer: Are mushrooms the new plastic?

This video appealed to me because last year I took an AP Environmental Science class and learned a lot about waste and its effect on our planet. Bayer begins his discussion talking about using crop waste that is compostable, unlike materials such as plastic and styrofoam. The important part of the mushroom is called mycelium, which can be used as a glue-like substance. One product made with it was a corner block which was used in shipping furniture. The idea is that the new compostable material would replace substances such as styrofoam used in packaging. I think it is a good solution to a problem, but I don't really expect to compostable material to replace styrofoam completely. One issue I found with this concept is the fact that the packaging material is made from compostable material, so I'm a little confused as to whether or not the material begins to rot or smell bad after a certain period of time. He also mentions that we rely on a single "feedstock" (petroleum) to heat our homes, power our cars, etc. However, I disagree with this. There are currently many alternate energy sources such as solar power, nuclear power, coal, wind power, etc. We have made improvements in finding new greener energy sources, they are just not as radical as many people would like. In my opinion, our generation is so obsessed with consumption that a drastic change would be unsuccessful.

http://www.ted.com/talks/eben_bayer_are_mushrooms_the_new_plastic.html

Marianne Dages
I found her discussion particularly informative because she gave several different options to her basic topic of how to set up a studio after you leave school. She said that "where you work affects the work you make," which I agree with because I have seen variations in the quality of my work, depending on where I made it. There were three main options, studio-wise, that she listed: community, partner and building a personal studio. To me, a personal studio would be preferable because I have noticed that I work better when I am isolated and don't have outside distractions. For example, back in high school, I would produce better work at home than I did in the classroom when I had friends to talk to. I also really liked her suggestion of making a list of the tools I use and then buying one tool every month instead of all at once which can be overwhelming.