Ep. 13: Natura Design - Building a Better World with Mushroom Materials (feat. Ashley Granter)

Today on Mushroom Hour, we have the exciting opportunity to chat with Ashley Granter, ecological designer and co-founder of Natura Design. Let's hop into Ashley's mobile mycology lab and get out in the woods. We'll got foraging for mushrooms, but instead of edibles we'll be looking for specimens that show potential to be used as a myco-material. Mushrooms are like witches & wizards of the forest, spewing forth an incredible array of chemicals that give them amazing properties. What do we look for in mushrooms that might be useful as a material? How do the properties of a mushroom fruit body translate to its mycelium?We'll see how Natura's team uses mycelium to digest industrial waste streams and transform them into beautiful products. What are some of the practical applications of mycelium as a material - what can we make with it?! From consumer products to building materials to even far-out applications like circuitry, the possibilities seem endless. We wrap up with discussions of the future, including the importance of open source knowledge that allows more and more people to explore these exciting new fields of bio-design and bio-materials. Collaboration, creative thinking and not being afraid to try new things can lead to some amazing discoveries and expand the limits of what's possible.Thanks for listening and Mush Love!   Directed, Recorded, Produced by: Mushroom Hour  (@welcome_to_mushroom_hour)  Music by: Ancient Baby   Art by: Wyn Di Stefano   Episode Resources   Natura Design IG: https://www.instagram.com/natura_studios/Natura Design: https://naturadesign.org/Biohm: https://www.biohm.co.uk/