Green Chemistry

The Unnatural Economy: Reclaiming Nature's 3.8 Billion Year Design Manual 1 The Unnatural Economy - Part 1: The One Percent Solution: Why 3.8 Billion Years of R&D Matters 2 The Unnatural Economy - Part 2: The Spiral Mandate: Why Nature Never Uses a Straight Line 3 The Unnatural Economy - Part 3: Dragging the Past: From Sharkskin to Supersonic Efficiency 4 The Unnatural Economy - Part 4: The Zero-Waste Blueprint: Fungi, Mussels, and Green Chemistry 5 The Unnatural Economy - Part 5: The Corporate Jungle: The High Cost of the "Not Invented Here" Syndrome ← Series Home Key Takeaways Zero-waste imperative: Nature creates conditions conducive to further life, with no permanent toxins or waste. Fungal remediation: Mycelium can reduce hydrocarbon pollution from 20,000 ppm to 200 ppm in 8 weeks. Green chemistry: Molecules designed to be safe by nature, reducing liability and compliance costs. Mussel adhesives: Non-toxic, underwater-curing glues replacing harmful formaldehyde. The Ancient Fungal Giant The realization that the largest and arguably oldest living entity on Earth is a vast, interconnected fungal colony spanning twenty-three hundred acres beneath Oregon’s Malheur National Forest—and estimated to be up to 8,600 years old—reframes our understanding of biological architecture. This hidden, root-like network, or mycelium, is the earth’s essential engine, responsible for decomposing organic compounds via hairlike strands. As mycologist Paul Stamets has passionately argued, this silent, subterranean architect holds the key to solving some of humanity’s most intractable problems. ...