How amazing is this -- scientists have discovered
mushrooms that can devour plastic waste in a matter of
weeks...plastic that would otherwise just be in the ocean
forever.
Right now 91% of plastics we use can’t be recycled
-- and every minute a truckload-worth is
dumped in the ocean, suffocating sea life and spreading pollutants
across shores.
But scientists say these mushrooms could eat up to half
of the plastic waste being dumped in the ocean -- and they
need your help to finish their groundbreaking research.
Scientist Dr Cullings is retiring from NASA this year to join the
nonprofit Ocean Blue Project in their work to isolate and reproduce
plastic-eaters for industrial use. They have projects planned in the
US and New Zealand that need funding. If 5000 of us chip in,
we can pay for the lab equipment they need to finish their
research -- and help rid the planet of plastic
waste. Are you in?
If
you’ve saved your payment information with SumOfUs, your donation
will go through immediately:
Fungi, like mushrooms and yeast, are nature’s cleanup crew. The
enzymes they produce can break down pollutants and clean up
everything from oil spills to toxic pesticides.
Nearly all the plastic ever created still exists in some
form today. So scientists are using these crafty microbes
to try and break down all types of plastics to make them possible to
recycle and reuse -- and it’s working.
We could finally get rid of plastic waste!
But we need more research to do this on a bigger scale, and we
need to move fast. Plastic production is increasing rapidly. By
2050, studies say there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish
-- but we can change that.
Ocean Blue Project and Dr Ken Cullings have been at the forefront
of using fungi to clean up the environment. They have big ambitions
in the war on plastic waste, but lab equipment, field
materials, and research time don’t come cheap -- and they
rely on donations to do this work.
It’s not often we can make a dent in the world’s plastic
pollution -- and this pioneering research could be one of the
boldest solutions we’ve been waiting for. Will you be one of
the 5000 donors we need to buy this lab equipment and support this
crucial research to help eliminate plastic waste?
If
you’ve saved your payment information with SumOfUs, your donation
will go through immediately:
P.S. Industrial-scale use of plastic-eaters is already being
trialled in France and Australia. With your help we could advance
this research and give the planet a fighting chance to breathe
again. Every extra penny we raise will support our campaigning to
end plastic pollution.
If
you’ve saved your payment information with SumOfUs, your donation
will go through immediately:
