Top Five Ways to Help in the Gulf of Mexico

Everywhere you turn there are pictures of poor little ducks drowning in oil. My dear sweet wife turned to me the other day after watching another story on Countdown with Keith Olbermann about this BP oil spill fiasco and said that she could not stand to watch anymore. She wanted to do something; she just didn't know what. There are ways out there to help whether they be going to Florida or going to the grocery store. Here are five ways to help the clean up efforts from the BP oil spill.

Top Five Ways to Help in the Gulf of Mexico: Go Clean Ducks: According to the National Audubon Society the need for trained oiled-wildlife response teams is critical. If you have been trained in this area then you can head on down and meet with the National Audubon Society or other conservation groups and begin to help out. If you are not trained then you can register to volunteer with the National Audubon Society and will be contacted when they are ready for the untrained volunteers. The National Wildlife Federation is looking for people with hazardous materials training to help clean the beaches and marshes. You can register to be a bird spotter with The National Wildlife Federation if you do not have training but want to make sure the little guys get help.

Top Five Ways to Help in the Gulf of Mexico: Buy a Bottle of Dawn: When you buy a bottle of limited edition Dawn regular blue liquid soap Dawn will donate $1 to the relief fund. Dawn requires you to go online to register your donated bottle. Dawn has been used for years for clean up efforts from spills as the classic blue Dawn soap is safe for cleaning animals.

Top Five Ways to Help in the Gulf of Mexico: Donate Hair: The next time you get your hair cut see if your salon is donating hair to help absorb oil in the Gulf. Matter of Trust is a foundation that is weaving together hair from humans, sheep, alpacas and llamas and using it to soak up the oil. Many salons have started to donate their clippings to the clean up effort in the Gulf. If your favorite salon is not donating and you still want to go to your favorite stylist and give to the Gulf, take your clippings home with you and mail them in yourself.

Top Five Ways to Help in the Gulf of Mexico: Register with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana: The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is looking for all sorts of help. You can register to work to clean up the hazardous material if you have the right training, you can register to be a bird spotter if you have no training or you can donate any amount of money to help with the clean up efforts.

Top Five Ways to Help in the Gulf of Mexico: Be Tourists: The last and most important thing to remember about this oil spill is how much residual damage the Gulf coast area will suffer in not just lost income from fishing and such, but also the lost tourism money. Inns, hotels, and restaurants are still lining the Gulf coast so go out and show your support to these groups by just being the tourist you always were. Even if the seafood isn't there just yet there are still casinos, shops, museums, and other tourist attractions who need your support now more than ever.

Sources:

http://dawn-dish.com/en_US/savingwildlife.do

http://www.audubonaction.org/site/PageServer?pagename=aa_HowtoHelp

http://www.matteroftrust.org/

http://www.crcl.org/

http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Conservation/Threats-to-Wildlife/Oil-Spill/On-the-Ground.aspx