Sure, they’re great on pizzas or deep-fried and dipped in red sauce or to use when ascending into a psychedelic realm conducive to writing Iron Butterfly songs, but mushrooms may have a far more important, ecologically heroic purpose: modern, eco-friendly cars.

Ecovative Design is currently working on making car bumpers, dashboards, and side doors all out of fungus—with the collaborative efforts of Ford Motor Company. While my husband and I vowed to never buy a Ford again after we were hassled, haggled, and ultimately screwed over by a local dealer, we may just have to change our minds if this model becomes a real vehicle in our lifetimes (and perhaps simply continue to give the stink eye to that single dealer, of course).

After all, how awesome would that be? As much as we love mushrooms in our house—we’re pretty into Alice and Wonderland and Waldorf educational products and just about all things fairytale and fantasy—it would be amazing to actually drive a mushroom-based car. But what would its mileage and overall environmental impact be? Those, too, would be deciding factors.

The fungus-based insulation material would also be able to be used—in an ideal scenario—in cabinets, buildings, and plenty of other structures as well. And the best part is that the stuff would decompose after being buried for one month, which is nothing short of amazing. The stuff is also fireproof, so perhaps it could replace all of those hazardous fire retardants we’ve come to loathe in our furniture, too?