Hairy Help for the Gulf of Mexico

Sometimes problems are so big, so overwhelming in scope and devastation, that I simply don’t know where to begin to even start processing the information. The anger, the sadness, the shock just too much. Then again, why should we really be so shocked. Certainly not the first oil spill, and I dare say, if history is any indicator, it still won’t be the last. When will we learn, accidents are inevitable.

I’ve been at such a loss for words regarding, “The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon, an offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, and its subsequent sinking on April 22, 2010, caus[ing] a significant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.” Spill is an interesting word choice isn’t it? Almost sounds like I spilled my coffee. Don’t cry over spilt milk and all that.

In my mind, a spill is not something that has no immediate end in sight and is ‘spilling’ an estimated 200,000 gallons of oil into the water of the world every day. Some estimates are even higher. Interesting too that earlier on, estimates I saw were quoted in number of barrels not gallons. The cynic in me can’t help but wonder if that was a hope by some that 5,000 barrels wouldn’t sound as bad as 200,000 gallons.

I find myself however, wanting to avoid using the word disaster. To me, that word implies a hint of the unexpected, as if it couldn’t have been predicted or avoided. Natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes come to mind. While the aftermath of those can be managed either more or less successfully, the acts themselves is unavoidable, 100% beyond our control. That cannot be said about situations like what happened and is continuing to happen in the Gulf of Mexico.

I’m still rather numb at just why we keep letting things happen like this. Why for the almighty dollar do we persist in stripping away at Mother Nature which we have no business destroying? Whether it’s splitting atoms or drilling for oil 5,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, almost a mile below sea level – just how does anyone expect to adequately control the inevitable accidents? And they are saying this one could eclipse Exxon Valdez… And still there are 90 other rigs continuing to operate in the Gulf of Mexico alone, with other jurisdictions in other countries still hoping to join the offshore oil drilling business.

As with other depressing and maddening topics however, I’d like to share something positive. Since 1998 San Francisco-based nonprofit, Matter of Trust, has been accepting donations of “non-filthy pet fur and human hair” to make oil-absorbing hairmats and hair-stuffed containment booms made from recycled pantyhose. Talk about a great way to both recycle and avoid using new materials.
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Matter of Trust points out, “You shampoo your hair because it gets greasy. Hair is very efficient at collecting oil out of the air, off surfaces like your skin and out of the water, even petroleum oil. Hair is adsorbent (as in ‘clings to’ unlike absorbent which is to ‘soak up.’)” Adsorbent, another new word for me.

Anyone from businesses such as hair salons and dog groomers to private individuals can collect and send in their hairy donations. More information and instructions can be found at http://www.matteroftrust.org/programs/hairmatsinfo.html. So far more than 400,000 pounds of hair is en route to the Gulf Coast.

The video below provides a number of facts and figures, but the demo at about the 2½ minute mark is really something. We get to see one of these hairmats in action cleaning up a mini-oil spill in a plastic bin. Amazing stuff all that hair.

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