The Sustainable Mushroon Cultivation on Buffelgrass project will explore the use of buffelgrass, an invasive grass species in Arizona, as a sustainable substrate for cultivating mushrooms. Buffelgrass threatens local ecosystems and through this project, it will be repurposed for a positive use. This project will be led by students in MycoCats which is a student-led organization with a mission centered around fostering hands-on experience in mycology. Alongside the Sonoran Desert Weedwackers, MycoCats members will regularly collect buffelgrass pullings, transport them to the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC), and process them for mushroom cultivation. Mushrooms grown using the buffelgrass substrate will be donated to the Campus Pantry and the Cooking on Campus program.
