Namibia in Africa has a surplus of invasive plants (also known as ‘encroacher bush’). There is also a serious housing shortage. A group of people in Namibia see a way to put the unwanted plants to work as housing materials. The crucial connection is mushrooms.
The invasive plants are harvested and ground-up to be used a medium for growing mushrooms. When the mushrooms are harvested, they leave behind a network of ‘roots’ (mycelium) that run through the ground-up medium and binds it together. The medium is pressed into building blocks, which have been used to construct a demonstration building. This whole process is reported by Voice of America: Turning Encroacher Bush Into Building Material in Namibia
Namibia is hardly alone in looking at alternative building materials. Here are a few similar projects in other parts of the world:
-
- The Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance has issued a handbook to guide cities as they migrate to using carbon neutral construction materials. The handbook includes a product summary for mushroom mycelium boards. Try: A Handbook For Cities Heading To A Carbon Neutral Future
- Researchers in Maine are experimenting with using waste wood to build homes Try: Can Recycled Waste Build Dignified Houses For Homeless People?
- Researchers in Manitoba are testing mushrooms’ potential as a binder. Try:
Homes Built With Mushrooms? For Real? Or Just A Happy Hallucination?
The plant ‘invasion’ in Namibia is a story in itself. In the days before global warming became a top-of-mind issue, Namibians used fire to control the spread of unwanted plants. Putting an end to burning came with health benefits, as there was less exposure to smoke. Now there is a another health issue. The spread of unwanted plants is competing with agriculture for scarce water resources. This documentary reports on what happened when burning stopped: Namibia And The Bush Encroachment Phenomenon
Returning to the top of the post, every building block in the demonstration building uses 10 kg of unwanted plant material. If these blocks are going to be the building material of the future, a lot of unwanted plants will be needed. One enterprising business has an eye on the potential opportunity to harvest tonnes of material. Right now, the company is aiding and abetting the survival of the puma population, which is having its own issues with unwanted plants. To see how and why the harvesting works, check out this video on YouTube: N-BiG Harvesting Equipment For lease
