Environmentally Friendly Solutions to Oil Spill Disaster?
Posted by Lisa Carey
We can all agree that the oil shouldn’t be in the Gulf Coast. But now that it is, are there environmentally friendly alternatives to cleaning up this unnatural disaster?
Many of us have heard about the recent oil spill disaster on the gulf coast affecting not only the water, but also the fish and wildlife that depend on these waters. It’s not just the environment being affected, but also many others who depend on this water to earn their livelihood. Several attempts have been made to control the spill. One that may be the most harmful to the environment is the attempt to burn off the oil that is seeping towards our shores and affecting our plants, animals, oceans, beaches, and economy.
Are there environmentally friendly solutions that could be used to help clean up this unnatural disaster? There could be and Greenjoyment brings you some of the more unusual and unique alternatives to cleaning up the Gulf coast oil spill.
Man’s best friend possibly oil’s worst enemy?
It’s hard to believe, but a Matter of Trust, a San Francisco nonprofit organization, is leading an effort to collect your pet’s hair in order to create mats to help with the oil cleanup efforts. Apparently your pet’s hair (and even your own) can be woven into mats to be used to collect oil. The mats are being made along the Gulf coast and distributed among the waters. It seems to me that these mats could also be helpful in cleaning up the oil damage to many animals, plants, fish, and wildlife that may be affected by the oil spill disaster too. So if you are taking your dog for his summer cut (or maybe your own), ask the groomer or stylist to collect the hair and you can send it to Matter of Trust as a donation.
Hair today–gone tomorrow?
British Petroleum (BP) is currently attempting to create an enormous dome to contain the thousands of gallons of oil spilling into our ocean, but it could take up to two weeks to create, time that our environment and the Gulf coast economy really just doesn’t have.
Hair is again a key ingredient in this eco-friendly alternative that uses mushrooms and hair to collect oil on water. It acts like a great big natural sponge. While it sounds unbelievable, it is actually tried and true, and was used successfully in the Cosco Busan Oil Spill of 2007.
Eat it up–oil eating bacteria?
It’s possible that the natural microorganisms and bacteria living in the ocean could be an alternative to cleaning up oil spills. There are currently bacteria that live in the ocean that eat “oil” and other unwelcome visitors to their environment. Adding sulfate or nitrate fertilizers to the existing microorganisms could cause them to multiply and eat up the toxic oil spilling into their environment at a rate of five times faster, without any other assistance. However, in order for this to work, the oil spill which is currently almost the size of the state of Delaware would have to encroach further upon the beaches of the Gulf coast and could possibly end up working its way up the “food chain.”
Peat–come over here and help me with this oil spill
Peat’s not a person, but actually peat moss. A Norwegian company, Kallak Torvstrøfabrikk, has developed a super hero organic peat moss that could be dumped on the ocean and absorb the oil. It would then be “scooped” up with the toxic oils. Since it can’t sink, it lays on top of the water for easy collection.
According to Science Daily, Svein Ramstad of SINTEF’s Marine Environment department said the peat moss, “Was deployed on a geological conservation area near Langesund and at Stavern. The area was heavily contaminated, and particular care needed to be taken. Gravel and stones were mixed with the peat moss and were laid back in their original position, to good effect” (Source: EU Infrastructure).
It’s nice to know that there are alternatives, but are the people “in charge” of this unnatural disaster aware of them? The effects of any oil spill, especially an oil “spill” (which to me is an oxymoron–you spill a glass of milk–not hundreds of gallons of oil) of this magnitude, can affect our environment and economy for many years to come. Even now, 21 years after the Exxon Valdez disaster, Alaska continues to experience the negative effects. Only through the increased use of alternative, sustainable energies as well as an increased demand for safety and stronger standards for the use of oil production can we avoid this sort of disaster.
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Great stuff, really useful