Upcycling is taking material considered to be waste and turning it in something utile and it is a growing trend in sustainability circles. This piece from GOOD features Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez, two guys who decided one day to become urban mushroom farmers. The two began experimenting with growing mushrooms in the basement of a fraternity house back when they were in college at UCLA. The trick they discovered was that mushrooms positively fluorish in recycled coffee grounds. The pair started a company called Back to The Roots, a gourmet mushroom company with a focus on sustainability and upcycling the waste from one industry to fuel their own endeavour. Arora says of their efforts, “Our whole company is literally built on trash.”