MycoButts seeks to develop an at-home research kit that employs fungi to break down cigarette butts. These ubiquitous waste materials persist in the environment, and our solution aims to convert the plastics within them into harmless biomass that can be safely reintegrated into the Earth. Beyond this, we're intertwining modern tech and ancient biology: the procedures and findings of our project will be embedded into an Intellectual Property-NFT (IP-NFT), which will be community-governed by the ValleyDAO $GROW token holders, essentially making the knowhow and proceeds governed by the ValleyDAO community. Later, this IP-NFT will be fractionalized into an art collection, serving as a follow-on fundraising mechanism for our mission's expansion.

Climate Relevance Each year, trillions of cigarette butts litter our environment, leaching harmful chemicals into our soil and water systems. By harnessing the natural power of fungi, our solution directly aids in the reduction of this prevalent environmental contaminant. Beyond tangible waste reduction, our project serves as a cornerstone in the emerging web3 climate solution infrastructure. We are committed to ensuring that our innovations in biodegradation are not only sustainable but also accessible and communally owned.

Impact & Vision While the direct GHG reduction from our project may be a drop in the vast ocean of climate challenges, MycoButts aspires to do much more than that. By integrating science, art, and decentralized technology, we intend to demystify biology, making it approachable and captivating. Our hope is to ignite curiosity and inspire countless others to recognize biology as a profound innovation tool, potentially leading them to unearth future solutions for our planet's ailments. Most of today’s adoption issues are because people believe you need to be an educated scientist to make a real impact. We will tell a story that involves every person in the process of healing our earth.