Fungi Perfecti Brings Mycorestoration to South Africa
In addition to providing an array of valuable mushroom products, Fungi Perfecti also devotes considerable energy and resources to developing myco-technologies to benefit people and planet. As part of his lifelong work in generating and spreading ideas, Paul Stamets regularly participates in the Bioneers Conference, where he is a perennial favorite among the many thought-leaders in this group.
As a result of connections made at Bioneers, Fungi Perfecti was invited to South Africa by BioMimicry South Africa and Spier Winery to share the ideas and techniques of Mycorestoration. On behalf of the team at Fungi Perfecti, Katie Brownson and Casey Mullen journeyed to the African continent in May 2012 to offer presentations and a comprehensive Mycorestoration workshop.
Casey Mullen, National Inside Sales Coordinator for Host Defense, delivered lectures to sold-out audiences at both the Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town and the Sustainability Institute in Stellenbosch, showing how fungi can help restore and enhance the health of people and the ecosystems we depend upon.
Katie Brownson, Mycorestoration Project Coordinator, led a weekend workshop for 40+ people exploring the potential applications of MycoRestoration technologies in South Africa and beyond. The workshop primarily focused on mycofiltration, or the use of mycelium as biologically active filters against microbial contaminants. In addition to presentations and discussions, participants received hands-on training in the techniques of mycofiltration and mycoremediation. By the end of the weekend, participants had learned basic cultivation techniques, inoculated various substrates and designed and constructed a mycofilter!
Fungi Perfecti offers many thanks to Mariota Enthoven and the entire team at Spier for sponsoring, hosting, and facilitating the workshop. We would also like to thank Claire Janisch of Biomimicry SA for networking to make these events a reality!
For more information on Fungi Perfecti's work in the field of Mycorestoration, contact Katie Brownson, Mycorestoration Project Coordinator, at katie.b@fungi.com.