Matter of Trust is the organization that is orchestrating a mass movement of hair and fur to the gulf for the disastrous Oil Spill. The hair/fur is being stuffed into nylon stocking to make booms. Hair, as it turns out is one of the most effective ways to soak up oil. Explains why we have to shampoo our hair everyday;)  

We have 400,000 thousand pounds of hair heading to the gulf region and are organizing stocking stuffing parties to make these booms out of hair and nylons. Over 30 thousand salons and counting are participating! This really has become a national grass roots movement with a momentum that looks as if I can't fade. 

BP's Critical Resources Materials Management team contacted us on the 15th and by the 18th they wanted us to send them everything we had. They were excited to hear about our 19 warehouses full of hair, fur, and fleece stationed around the Gulf coast region. They said they were going to do a press release about using hair boom on Friday and to stand by with the press.  So we did.

Then BP's Public Affairs office - tired of being asked about the hair by all the reporters, since we posted they had contacted us, and not aware that the other department was working with us, they issued a press release saying BP would never use our donated hair booms. Stating that our booms are inferior and sink. Our booms are not for stand alone floatation so that's an easy claim.  They are not inferior when you consider that they are donated, renewable, natural, plentiful sorbent fiber.  I have tested them against oil based booms and they work about the same. Then when the Public Affairs office found out we really were talking to a BP department they called us back to apologize for the mix up , but basically said they still will not use the hair.  The damage in the press was done by their horrible press release and I think the people in the CRMM team may have been scolded because we haven't heard from them since and the PA guy made it seem not to ever expect to.

Since then all this oil has come in so heavily into LA and now we're getting calls from municipal emergency management teams, parishes and some local officials. We are still making boom, collecting pounds of hair, fur and fleece by the thousands, and refuse to desert the Gulf.   

These hair booms are using fibers that are being diverted from the waste stream. They are renewable, natural, effective, fast, hydrophobic (sheet off water), plentiful, free and come with good will! We are not offering this as a final and ultimate solution, but I feel strongly that these hair mats and booms might be able to help with some small contained areas. If we can help filter oil out, or keep it from getting into one marine estuary then our job is done. Currently we have thousands of feet of hair booms all along the gulf coast region waiting to be used. The Amercorps and some private engineers have been coming up with ways in which to make them float. And the National Guard in Louisiana wants to deploy them but just need the ok from BP, Hazmat, or the government.


We need to get these in the water! We are working on contacting the Vessels of Opportunity groups (fisherman and shrimpers) that are getting hired to help. As well as contacting Animal Rescue Shelters, local volunteer groups and non-profits. In no way are we encouraging citizens to go and deploy the booms themselves but the coastal communities are getting anxious and desperate in their need to sustain their habitats, livelihoods and health.

The Bigger Picture


Talk about green jobs; salons can never be out sourced! Plus with the right infrastructure we can set up an national hair and fur recycling program. Since the American textile industry has been moved to China and India this is another great opportunity to bring some of it back to make hair mats to prepare for future oil spills. I see a world where all the hair is made into these natural fiber mats. Some large ones for big oil spills that you can pull on the back of boats, and some small ones that can be put under every road drain run off grid to catch the oil leaking into our waterways before it pollutes our communities. We can put them all around hwy 89 to catch all the oil run off from polluting lake Tahoe and keep it Blue.


Everyone wants to be part the solution! And Now Everyone Can, Just By Getting a Haircut.


I appreciate you taking the time to read this letter.
Check out the website and the videos. Please feel free to contact me.


Thanks for the support.
Best,
Tyler Young
tyler@matteroftrust.org
matteroftrust.org
508-901-1074

YOUTUBES - by Matter of Trust
Hair soaks up oil - 3:38 music: "Via Con Me" by Paolo Conte

Loose hair & Loose fur OIL DEMO - 0:58 music: "My Other Love" by Pretty Lights

Hair boom with mesh OIL DEMO - 1:05 music: "Standing on the World" by Bender (Larry Laven Remix)

Hair boom in OIL DEMO - 4:13 music: "Arabika" by V. Didulya

How to make a hair boom DEMO- 3:25 music: "Slanty Boogie" by Morgan Hevrin