Students at The Ohio State College of Barber Styling were doing more than learning the art of hairdressing on Thursday.
The students were part of an effort to send hair clippings to help the Gulf Coast clean up the oil spill, 10TV’s Lindsey Seavert.
“As a bunch of concerned barber students we decided to gather the hair, ship it down, help the citizens and wildlife and the people of Louisiana,” said student barber Mike Goodwin. “The hair will absorb oil and other moisture in comes into contact with.”
The non-profit Matter of Trust came up with the idea after an offshore drill started spilling oil in the Gulf Coast region, Seavert reported.
Hair stuffed in nylons creates an oil boom.
As the oil spill spread, the idea did too, going viral over the Internet, Seavert reported.
Even man’s best friend is getting involved. At Dublin’s Mutts and Company Pet Salon, the groomers are sending fur to the oil spill.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said sorbent booms are the preferred method because they are designed to collect oil.
However, NOAAA said reports of the need for hair have been exaggerated and will not necessarily help the response effort, Seavert reported.
The Matter of Trust group is still coordinating donations.
The response team attempting to clean up the oil spill said they have 867,000 feet of available sorbent booms and that hair could present debris problems and health concerns.
http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2010/05/13/story-columbus-hair-clean-up-gulf-coast-oil-spill.html