John, Rene and I spent this Saturday stuffing hair -- human and otherwise -- into pantyhose. The idea? To create giant oil sponges that will be suspended from booms in the gulf.
An Alabama hairdresser first dreamed up the idea that human hair is a great oil absorber. Dubious? Just observe your nearest greasy-haired adolescent in need of a shower. The nonprofit Matter of Trust put the idea into practice in California, and is now employing it here in the gulf.
We volunteered through the organization Bayou Rebirth, which was collaborating with the larger effort going on at the downtown Ritz Carlton and organized through Matter of Trust.
Here's a video that shows just how effective these "hair sausages" can be.
The hair stuffs quickly into nylons, and the fifteen or so volunteers who showed up blew through the available hair in no time. We spent the rest of the day calling local salons and groomers for more supplies. The take home message seemed to be: we need more supplies. Anyone with access to hair or nylons can donate them through matteroftrust.org.
While the Bayou Rebirth effort seemed a bit disorganized and it's unclear how volunteers will be utilized in the future, the Ritz Carlton is encouraging employees to help create booms -- so supplies are definitely needed.
And you can sign up to help out with boom building and other activities through Hands On New Orleans.
--Jamie
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