Awesome Stories 390

/ March 12, 2019

This week Awesome Stories brings you hope and action for the environment.

Magic MushroomsMagic mushrooms, Awesome Stories

I’ve written before about the amazing properties of mushrooms. Paul Stamets created several natural remedies using mushroom spores in proprietary formulas to address environmental problems like pest control, toxic cleanup, and more. Paul has created a company called Fungi Perfecti to promote his books, ideas, and health products, all made from mushrooms. Now, researchers have discovered mushrooms that eat plastic! The Pestalotiopsis microspora and other species of mushroom are capable of subsisting on plastic alone. They consume plastic and convert it into organic matter. Even better, they can do so without oxygen, meaning that mushrooms could be used to clean up the enormous amounts of plastic in landfills. We still need to move beyond plastics with biodegradable materials and packing like those starting to be made from hemp. But this discovery could aid in the cleanup and recycling of the tons of plastic waste we generate each year with our consumption of so many single-use plastic items.

Rising Tides

Rising tides are one of the many concerns relating to climate change. Thankfully, as I recently highlighted, youth like Greta Thunberg are mobilizing on a grand scale to demand action be taken by our leaders to address climate change. She is a charismatic young woman whose social-media skills, moral compass, and truth-telling have inspired hoards of youth to take to the streets for a better world and call out the politicians, propagandists, and CEOs who are standing in the way. Mark Hertsgaard of The Nation has dubbed them The Climate Kids. Read his compelling post called The Climate Kids are Coming. This is a rising tide that we can celebrate!

Call to Action

As I’ve recently written, we need massive changes in order to turn the tide on climate change. While I’m heartened by stories like the two ones above, we don’t have time to wait anymore. We each must act, both personally and collectively. Small actions like reducing your consumption do help. Here are 10 tips from the World Wildlife Fund for individuals to help the environment. And we need mass holistic shifts in our political, economic, manufacturing, and lifestyles to address the challenges. Some organizations and leaders are starting to create coordinated plans to address climate change like the Ceres plan called Climate Action 100+ backed by 320 investors and 32 Trillion dollars. Similarly, William Becker wrote a book called The 100 Day Action Plan to Save the Planet. And recently, House Democrats introduced a similar New Green Deal. All are inclusive plans to revitalize our country while addressing climate change on a societal level. 

Will you join the green revolution?

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34 thoughts on “Awesome Stories 390”

  2. Thank you for this Brad…and yes you are right…we do not have time to mess around anymore…We MUST take action now…each and every one of us and each and every government. What good will all their power and money be if the natural world and all its infinite benefits to we humans, is no longer able to do the work it was designed to do…..all because of human greed.
    I am always pleased to hear that the young are becoming more and more motivated…..
    We must all come together. Janet

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  10. i agree…the time was yesterday, as in we haven’t any wiggle room or moments to spare. every little act we do can make a difference, so to think that you are just one person or that just one thing you might be able to do wouldn’t make a difference, is false. it DOES create change that trickles out and ends up creating more changes individually that you do simply by starting somewhere. the mushroom information is fascinating and i do hope that this can be implemented to assist what has already been done, along with our stopping to use plastics, altogether.

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  11. Wow, Wonderful to read about the Fungi that can eat away at plastic..
    My hubby only read out to me the other day another fact about Mushrooms was that they are also good for our memory.. And I love to eat mushrooms..
    Wonderful Story shares Brad, Water and Tides is concerning to everyone.. And agreed Brad about how we each can help to recycle and alter our consumer habits to help us help Mother Earth…

    Wonderful information in this post my friend..
    Happy Weekend to you ❤

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  12. Love your awesome stories. And like you said, I agree that we don’t have time to waste anymore. I hope that humans can collectively come together to bring about change. I wish you a wonderful week, friend! Sending you hugs and blessings.

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