Are Mushrooms the New Plastic?: Ecovative Design Challenge

In this interactive, discussion-based activity, students compare the life cycles of traditional polystyrene (Styrofoam) products with Ecovative’s mycelium-based materials to understand how green chemistry and biomimicry enable safer, more sustainable product design. Using life cycle cards and guided questioning, students explore renewable feedstocks, energy use, waste generation, and end-of-life impacts. The activity emphasizes systems thinking, closed-loop design, and green chemistry decision-making criteria (safety, cost, and performance), helping students see how chemistry can prevent pollution at the design stage rather than address problems after they occur.