Researchers have found that mushrooms are “one of the most sustainably produced foods in the United States,” according to The Mushroom Council.
Here are three huge ways mushrooms use less water and energy to have a gentle impact on the environment.
1. A pound of mushrooms only requires only 1.8 gallons of water.
In the United States, agriculture is responsible for 80% of all water consumed. Many don’t realize that the water used to produce the food we eat leaves a huge water waste footprint. For instance, one six-ounce steak requires up to a whopping 674 gallons to prepare! Wow.
Fortunately, the water required to grow mushrooms is a fraction compared with other foods.
According to the Mushroom Sustainability Report, the average gallons of water to produce one pound of mushrooms is:
- 1.8 gallons per pound of mushrooms for all White and Brown mushrooms
- 1.7 gallons per pound of mushrooms for White
- 2.2 gallons per pound of mushrooms for Brown
Compare that with some other big contenders for water waste like hamburgers, with one patty requiring up to 660 gallons, or even one single egg at 52 gallons, and suddenly less than two gallons for a whole pound of mushrooms is an astonishing feat.
2. The production of mushrooms only requires 1.0 kilowatt-hour of energy.
In addition to water usage, food typically requires a four-step process from agriculture to transportation and processing to handling.
Energy is used during each of these phases, and for many food products, their energy waste footprint is huge. From the energy it takes to make boxed center-store products to the diesel wasted hauling it to the grocer, many foods use quadrillions of Btus (1kWh = 3412 Btu) of energy per year, according to SaveOneEnergy.
Mushrooms, in contrast, require very little energy to grow, significantly cutting down on the energy waste process.
The overall energy footprints for Phase I through harvest are estimated to be:
- 0.9 kWh per pound mushrooms for all White and Brown mushrooms
- 0.9 kWh per pound mushrooms for White
- 1.0 kWh per pound mushrooms for Brown
Plus, the production of a pound of mushrooms generates only 0.7 pound of CO2 equivalent emissions.
3. One million pounds of mushrooms can be produced on just one acre.
Not only do mushrooms use very little water and energy, they also don’t require a lot of land to grow compared with other foods. Think of all the acreage farm-raised cows or pigs use.
“Deforestation is one of the planet’s worst enemies,” Penn State posted, “Since 1990, the world has lost 1,000 football fields worth of forest every hour, almost 30 million acres yearly.”
Luckily, increasing food production is possible without deforestation when growing mushrooms.
A remarkable one million pounds of mushrooms can be produced annually on just one acre of land. Additionally, the soil they’re grown in is made of composted agricultural byproducts and recycled materials — and after the mushrooms have been harvested, the soil is then recycled once again for multiple uses like potting soil.
Learn More About the Mighty Mushroom
What we put on our plates has a big impact on not only our health but also the health of our environment.
Mushrooms are packed with nutritious vitamins and minerals. By eating fresh fungi, you can improve your own health while also benefiting the health of the planet. Remember, every little step counts!
In addition to being a sustainable choice, certain mushrooms come with added benefits, like vitamin D.
Learn more about the importance of incorporating vitamin D into your diet by downloading our free ebook, Everything You Need to Know About High Vitamin D Mushrooms.
Learn More About How to Get Our High Vitamin D Mushrooms On Your Shelves:
FAQs
First, they are highly efficient at converting waste products into food. Unlike traditional crops, which require large amounts of land, water, and other resources to grow, mushrooms can be cultivated in a controlled indoor environment using waste products like sawdust, straw, and agricultural byproducts.
Why are mushrooms so sustainable? ›
First, they are highly efficient at converting waste products into food. Unlike traditional crops, which require large amounts of land, water, and other resources to grow, mushrooms can be cultivated in a controlled indoor environment using waste products like sawdust, straw, and agricultural byproducts.
How can mushrooms help the environment? ›
Nutrient Cycling
Some fungi are decomposers which mean that they break down plant and animal debris, thus cycling nutrient and increasing their availability in the soil. They can also propel nitrogen fixation and phosphorus mobilization, two of the main nutrients required for plant development and productivity.
What is the importance of mushrooms? ›
Mushrooms act as antibacterial, immune system enhancer and cholesterol lowering agents; additionally, they are important sources of bioactive compounds. As a result of these properties, some mushroom extracts are used to promote human health and are found as dietary supplements.
How can mushrooms help agriculture? ›
Mushrooms help to improve the soil for agriculture:
When you plant mushrooms alongside other crops, fungi colonies are multiplied. These important fungi connect with the roots of 90 to 95 % of plants in the world, where they help acquire nutrients that the plant roots cannot obtain themselves.
What is sustainable material from mushrooms? ›
Mycelium, an intricate network of fungal threads, can be harnessed as a reliable industrial material with diverse applications. The process involves cultivating mycelium from agricultural waste and mycelial cultures, then transforming it into versatile forms like bricks, panels and blocks.
How will mushrooms save the world? ›
Mushroom spawn lets us recycle garden waste, wood, and yard debris, thereby creating mycological membranes that heal habitats suffering from poor nutrition, stress, and toxic waste. In this sense, mushrooms emerge as environmental guardians in a time critical to our mutual evolutionary survival.
What are the six ways mushrooms can save the world? ›
Mycologist Paul Stamets lists 6 ways the mycelium fungus can help save the universe: cleaning polluted soil, making insecticides, treating smallpox and even flu viruses. He believes that mushrooms can save our lives, restore our ecosystems and transform other worlds.
What do mushrooms provide in nature? ›
Fungi, which produce mushrooms, are critically important in most earthbound ecosystems as they provide life-sustaining mineral nutrients to plants while decomposing their remains, and recycling both organic and inorganic byproducts throughout the biome as they grow and reproduce.
How do mushrooms help the forest? ›
First, they help break down decaying organic matter. They secrete a chemical that allows a process similar to digestion, then absorb the nutrients. They break down dead plants and animals this way. These mushrooms are called saprophytes.
While research hasn't been extensive and more is certainly needed, some studies have shown that mushrooms may:
- Boost your immune system. ...
- Lower blood pressure. ...
- Support weight loss. ...
- Supply vitamin D. ...
- Protect brain health. ...
- Maintain heart health. ...
- Improve gut health.
Below the surface is a network of microscopic fungal threads, known as mycelium, which are vital to ecosystems around the world. Through mycelium, mushrooms help other plants share nutrients and communicate through chemical signals.
What are the hidden benefits of mushrooms? ›
Medical Properties of Mushrooms
The reishi mushroom has gained popularity in recent years for its medicinal properties, which may include aiding in weight loss, improving sleep, lessening depression and anxiety, fighting cancer, boosting the immune system, improving focus, and even promoting healing.
How do mushrooms benefit the environment? ›
Fungi and mushroom benefits in the environment are huge. Without them, dead plant and animal matter would pile up and decay much more slowly. Fungi are essential for processing dead material, healthy plant growth, nutrition, medicine, and for the entire rise of animal life on earth as well as human civilizations.
How are mushrooms sustainable? ›
Grown on a year-round cycle, with nothing added and in the absence of sunlight, mushrooms don't rely on the seasons. They only need a fraction of the water required for other foods, and sustain a low energy footprint, requiring just a small amount of land to grow.
How do mushrooms help climate change? ›
Mycelium also sequesters a great deal of carbon, which keeps climate-warming carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere (some fungi can store 70 percent more carbon in the soil!).
Can the world survive without mushrooms? ›
They are one of Earth's biggest recyclers
Without fungi, the world would be covered in layers and layers of dead plants, animals, and almost everything you can imagine. Fungi make things rot, generating space and nutrients for everything else to live.
Why mushrooms are better than meat? ›
Without a doubt, mushrooms are a good meat substitute although they are not packed with protein. However these little miracles surpass meat in many characteristics: they are rich sources of vitamins and minerals for instance selenium, zinc, vitamin B1, B2, B5, B6 and B12.
How have mushrooms adapted to their environment? ›
Fungi have adapted over the years in response to their environment. One way in which they have adapted is by increasing their surface area of their gills. This is beneficial to the organism because it is able to reproduce more spores which can lead to more of them being dispersed.
Why are mushrooms more like animals than plants? ›
Fungi are more closely related to animals than plants because they are heterotrophic, like animals. Heterotrophs are organisms that are unable to make their own food through photosynthesis. Plants are autotrophic, which means they are able to make their own food through the process of photosynthesis.
