By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Oil spill could be 'hairy' situation
Keep Liberty Beautiful
Placeholder Image
For several weeks, Americans have watched anxiously as oil leaking from the catastrophic explosion of a BP rig in the Gulf of Mexico edges closer and closer to the Louisiana coast. The oil spill began with an explosion and fire April 20 on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, owned by Transocean Ltd. and leased by BP PLC. The blast killed 11 workers.
Since then, oil has been pouring into the gulf from a blown-out undersea well at about 210,000 gallons per day. The leak has been releasing 5,000 barrels of oil per day, and efforts to manage the spill with controlled burning, dispersal and plugging the leak have been unsuccessful.
This oil spill could become the worst oil spill in history, surpassing the damage done by the Exxon Valdez tanker that spilled 11 million gallons of oil into the ecologically sensitive Prince William Sound in 1989. Unlike the Exxon Valdez tragedy, in which a tanker held a finite capacity of oil, BP’s rig is tapped into an underwater oil well and could pump oil into the ocean indefinitely until the leak is plugged.
I am sharing an excerpt from an interesting story by freelance writer Katherine Gustafson, published May 1 on www.tonic.com. Although this certainly is not a definitive answer for the oil leak, I was surprised that recycled hair, fur and wool items have been used on shores to clean up previous spills. See what you think:
“As our newest oil spill seeps toward the Louisiana coast, it’s natural to wonder whether there are any ‘think outside-of-the-box’ ways to clean up the mess. Is rubbing animals with dish detergent the best we can do?
“Looking to the Philippines, we found our answer: human hair. In 2006, the country’s worst-ever oil spill prompted an unusual program in the country’s prisons. Thousands of Philippine inmates had their heads and chests harvested for hair to be used in the clean-up effort.
“The hair was combined with feathers to create a spongy material that would soak up the more than 50,000 gallons of industrial fuel that had leaked from a sunken tanker off the central island of Guimaras.
“The method was also used in San Francisco, when hair mats were employed to clean up the Cosco Busan spill of 2007, which resulted when a cargo ship hit the base of the Bay Bridge and let loose some 58,000 gallons of oil.
“Lisa Gautier, director of a nonprofit called Matter of Trust, donated 1,000 ‘oil spill hair mats’ she had made for the San Francisco Department of the Environment to absorb motor oil spills.
“Once the hair mats, which are the size of doormats and feel like Brillo pads, had absorbed all the oil they could, oyster mushrooms were cultivated on the mats to absorb the oil and turn the oily hair into nontoxic compost within 12 weeks, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Mycologist and author Paul Stamets donated $10,000 worth of oyster mushrooms to the cause.”
So could hair and mushrooms work in the gulf? Yes, indeed. Lisa Gautier is at it again and wants your hair to help with the clean-up effort. Find out how to donate your locks at www.matteroftrust.org.

More upcoming KLB events that are waiting for you:
• May 15, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.:  GAC cleanups. Call 880-4888 today to set up yours.
• May 15, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.: Recycle it! Fair for electronics and HHW items. Turn in paint (no rusted cans), batteries, motor oil and antifreeze, ink cartridges, cell phones, household goods and more!
• May 22, 10 a.m.- noon: Community Shred Day sponsored by The Heritage Bank in the downtown bank’s parking lot. Paper document shredding will be free to the public. For more information, call 408-3780.
• May 27, 5-7 p.m.: Great American Cleanup volunteer appreciation at the old Mills House, 500 Oglethorpe Highway.

The 2010 Great American Cleanup will wind down at the end of May, but cleanups can be scheduled any time. If your neighborhood, street or group would like to sponsor one, call 880-4888 or e-mail klcb@coastalnow.net.

For more information, call 880-4888 or e-mail klcb@coastalnow.net.

Sign up for our e-newsletters
Visit with children a real eye-opener
Placeholder Image

One of my favorite activities as a state senator is when I get to speak to students at our local schools. This year, I spoke to third-grade students at May Howard Elementary and Marshpoint Elementary in Chatham County and Button Gwinnett Elementary in Liberty County.
The students from each of the schools had been studying civics and were familiar with the three branches of government — executive, judicial and legislative. I explained my role as a senator in the legislative process and told the children how the citizen legislature in the state of Georgia works.
Presenting each of the schools with a Georgia state flag, I explained the three principles for which the state flag stands — wisdom, justice and moderation — and had them recite the pledge to the flag with me. 
The students at all three schools were bright, respectful and well-disciplined — a tribute to their families and especially to their teachers, who had prepared the students for my visit with ideas for great questions.
The students in Ms. Hutchinson’s class at Marshpoint Elementary were impressive in singing the preamble to the Constitution during my visit. What a great way to learn such an important part of our nation’s history — another wonderful example of the great job our teachers are doing.
I was delighted last week to receive thank-you letters from some of the students. Here are excerpts from a few of their letters:
 
Dear Mr. Carter,
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come speak to us. I learned so much! I learned that there are two kinds of Pledge of Allegiances. That is pretty cool.
Do you travel all over the world do you? I really like that you taught me more about the three branches of government.
— Megan
 
Dear Sen. Carter,
Thank you for telling us about your job and your favorite thing about your job. I liked the Georgia state flag. I still have more questions. Do you have to work on Saturday and Sunday? Are you the only one who makes the laws?
Yours truly,
Ryleigh 


Dear Sen. Buddy Carter,
Thank you for coming and letting us have a little bit of your time. I want you to know that I learned something new. The Georgia pledge! Justice, wisdom and modesty! Thanks again!
— Liam
 
Dear Sen. Buddy Carter,
Thank you for coming and helping us learn more about the government and some of your job. Thank you for giving us a Georgia flag. It was fun when you came. Thank you for giving us some questions so we could answer them.
P.S. Did you ride in a limousine? I was going to ask you a question but then I forgot. But now I remember. How many rooms are there where you work? You can send me a note if you can.
Your friend,
Erin
 
I’m uncertain whether the students learned as much from me during my visit as I learned from them. One thing that I was reminded of was the honesty that comes from the innocence of childhood. I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret some of the questions, such as the one asked in this letter:
 
Dear Sen. Carter,
I loved your speech. Thanks for coming to our school. I think my favorite part was when we held the flag. It was so fun! I have a question: How many people voted for you?
Sincerely,
Shelly
 
I also was more than a little concerned about a recurring question in the thank-you notes that was posed to me during one of my visits by a beautiful, brown-eyed girl who, with a very serious look on her face, asked “Did you ever get re-elected be-fore?”


What a great group of young people! My faith and hope in our future has been reassured. What an amazing job our families and teachers are doing on a daily basis to support and encourage our next generation. Thank you for your dedication to teaching our leaders of tomor-row.

Sen. Buddy Carter can be reached at Coverdell Legislative Office Building (C.L.O.B.) Room 301-A, Atlanta, GA, 30334. His Capitol office number is 404-656-5109

Latest Obituaries