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Community Corner

Local Locks of Hair Help Oil Spill

Salons in Katonah and Mt. Kisco donate hair and fur to help the oil clean-up.

We all know that unwashed hair looks greasy because oil naturally clings to it. Oil also sticks to animals, something we see all too commonly after terrible spills. These simple connections prompted a San Francisco based charity called Matter of Trust to lead an effort to collect human and animal hair, then bundle it into "booms" that are designed to help contain flows of spilled oil.

The seabed oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico that has been flowing for over a month appears to be growing into a disaster of historic proportions. And because it is not fully known exactly where the oil will ultimately wash up, Matter of Trust is stockpiling these contributions of hair and fur in warehouses from Alabama to Mississippi and beyond.

"We have 19 warehouses, hundreds of volunteers and we will continue to accept hair from those who have registered for the program," explained Lisa Gautier, the president of the organization. "We will take breaks to find space for the donations and see where the oil lands."

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The Hair Wharf, a salon that is celebrating 34 years in Katonah, has been participating in the hair donation drive for the last three weeks. "We have been sending two large trash bags full of hair each week and it feels good to help," says owner Carol Gattucci. "Our clients are also bringing in pantyhose into which they stuff the hair. The last time we gave hair away, it was to help keep deer out of gardens. This is a fabulous cause."

Though official response teams have not sanctioned the use of the hair booms in the cleanup effort, the collection continues in preparation for future needs in areas where oil may wash ashore.

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The booms will be available to places that could need cleanup assistance for a long time to come.

As Caitlin DeMaria, a client from Yorktown Heights, was having her hair done, she smiled broadly when she heard where the cut hair was going. "I think it is great to be able to help all the way from here in the Northeast. I am happy to pull together as a community and help people affected by the oil spill."

Dogs are pitching in too. At Woof N'Wash in Mount Kisco, boxes of fur are being sent to warehouses each week. Owner Jason Leito says that people are happy to have their pets groomed a bit shorter to donate more fur. "It is the small things that help," he added. "We are happy to do our part to help the earth." Even Alpaca, a species that resembles a llama, are in the midst of shearing season right now with loads of their fleece being sent to make booms.

This rather simple solution to a very complicated problem has rallied people all over the country to help. One only hopes that the need for the booms subsides before your next haircut.

 

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