In November 2007, a cargo ship named Cosco-Busan accidentally hit the San Francisco Bay Bridge and spilled 58,000 gallons of oil, which then washed up onto the San Francisco beaches. In stepped Lisa Gautier and her nonprofit organization, Matter of Trust, with the solution to cleaning up the oily blobs on their beaches: hair and mushrooms.
"Hair mats" were invented in the early 90s by Alabama hairstylist Phil McCrory, who realized they were great for cleaning up petroleum spills. They were then used by Gautier and company to clean up the oil that washed up on the San Francisco beaches, and also utilized after a spill that occurred in the Galapagos Islands in 2000.
The organization collects hair from participating San Francisco salons and receives donations from all over the world. They then have the hair woven into doormat-sized shapes which have the look and feel of an S.O.S. sponge. According to Matter of Trust's website, "Hair can also be stuffed into tubes ("booms") made from recycled nylons, tied together to surround and contain a spill."
This article appears in Apr 28 – May 4, 2010.