Donated Nylon Stockings & Hair Organized by Matter of Trust Prevent Oil Spill from Reaching the Shore

The explosive fire and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drilling oil platform well (13), estimated pouring into the Gulf of Mexico 210,000 gallons of oil per day. Currently the U.S. Coast Guard reports four inch tar balls found along the beaches in eastern Alabama and tar balls at South Pass, Louisiana (southern tip) from the spill. 1 The oil spill threatens the lives of birds, sea otters, and more than 400 other species. "The Gulf's abundant oyster and Shrimping grounds are also in danger of severe damage." Concerns the oil spill will travel through the Gulf of Mexico loop current into the Florida keys, jeopardizing the coral and marine populations. 2 Also, the Mexican coast line is endanger of the oil spill by August, when gulf currents could move the oil onto their coast line, if the oil is not stopped or captured by containment booms. 3 A non-toxic solution captures the massive oil spill by nylon casings (booms) filled with human and animal hair. 4

Matter of Trust (established in 1998 7) a non-profit organization group in San Francisco co-founders Lisa Craig Gautier and her husband Patrice Olivier Gautier, collects donated human hair and animal fur (ideally shampoo hair of any length 10) from business establishments. 4 The hair is stuffed into donated nylon pouches (or weaves it into mats 5) as hair booms. The stuffed pouches are dragged along the coast to collect oil spills. Afterwards, the boom is wrung out and used again. 8 Hanes has donated 50,000 pairs of pantyhose to the organization. Matter of Trust will accept clean used or defective nylon pantyhose. Petco (pet-supply outlet) plans to donate as much as ton of fur clippings per day. 4 Matter of Trust has received donated clippings of human hair that were swept up off the floors from salons across the country (Including my own hair cut at Hair Cuttery in Plantation Florida). 5 Among the donated hair participants include Hair Club (95 North American hair restoration centers.), estimated over 500,000 haircuts annually or approximately 2,000 haircuts daily. 7 Lisa Gautier said: "There are 370,000 hair salons sending hair, 100,000 pet groomers, alpaca and sheep farmers, and other day we had a huge group of transvestites, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, who donated their very long nylons." 11

According to the organization Website Matter of Trust: Twelve hair collection sites (warehouses) where established in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. 9 Thousands of pounds of hair and nylon have been donated from every state and from outside the United States (Brazil, Canada, France and Great Britain). 5

Lisa Gaultier told the Florida Times-Union: "You touch the oil with hair and the hair just sucks it right up. It looks sort like a thick paper towel, about 1 foot by 1 foot, half an inch thick." 5 The clippings naturally collect oil but won't collect water. 6 Matter of Trust website site notes; "Booms are being made all along the Gulf Coast near beaches and marshes." The organization has been collecting hair to combat oil spills for about two years. 5 Currently, more than 400,000 pounds of hair have been delivered to protect the Golf Coast from the oil spill. 8 According to Lisa Gauiter takes about 15 pounds of hair to cover 12 foot boom. "If all 450,000 pounds of hair were stuffed and deployed, that would create 360,000 feet of barrier, or about 68 miles worth." 4

The collection of hair and nylons is urgently needed since the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, may become the worst environment catastrophic disaster in history. Videos on YouTube show how the hair fill nylons work to collect oil spill. 8 Lisa Gautier said the deployment of the booms is British Petroleum's responsibility, and would likely incinerate the booms after usage. 4 She also reported, The U.S Army Corps of Engineers worked-out the logistics to place a mile hair boom a day. On the coast and fragile wetlands of the Mississippi Delta, the hair booms will be placed on the shore, capture any oil that may arrive onto the beaches. 11 In 2007, human hair boom proved affective to clean up the oil spill (58,000 gallons) from a leaking oil ship that ran into the Bay Bridge. 12 "Hair and fur will typically soak up around four to six times their weight in oil, which is not to be sneezed at." 11

For more information protecting the Gulf of Mexico and how donate hair & nylon to Matter of Trust, go to:
http://www.matteroftrust.org/programs/hairmatsinfo.html

References:

1.) Possible oil spill tar balls wash ashore in Ala. - http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/93534754.html

2.) Gulf of Mexico oil spill reaches Louisiana coast - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article7112465.ece

3.) Mexico fears current change may bring spilled oil - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100513/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_gulf_oil_spill_mexico

4.) Matter of Trust creates hair-and-nylon booms to help clean up BP oil spill in Gulf -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/07/AR2010050704893.html?wprss=rss_print/style

5.) Human hair and pet fur are turned into mats that help clean up Gulf oil spill - http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/pets/2010/05/06/2010-05-06_human_hair_and_pet_fur_is_turned_into_mats_that_help_clean_up_gulf_oil_spill.html

6.) Local dog groomers doing their part to help clean up oil in the Gulf - http://www.wndu.com/localnews/headlines/93649444.html

7.) Hair Club & Matter of Trust Organization Partner to Help Clean Up Gulf Oil Spill - http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20100513/bs_prweb/prweb3996074_1

8.) Unusual weapon against oil spill: tons of hair and fur - http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_15040135

9.) Hair-raising idea: Naples salon collects clippings to help sop up Gulf oil spill - http://www.marconews.com/news/2010/may/04/hair-raising-idea-naples-salon-collects-clippings-/

10.) INSTRUCTIONS - HOW TO SEND HAIR / FUR / NYLONS - http://www.matteroftrust.org/programs/hairmatsinfo.html

11.) Hair today, oil boom tomorrow - http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/sci-tech/30-hair-today-oil-boom-tomorrow-so-03

12.) Oil Spill Meets Match with Hair Mats - http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/08/eveningnews/main6469575.shtml

13.) Deepwater Horizon - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon