Lets Start a Mass Kiting Movement to aid the Oil Clean up??????

Hey Kiters,

Most of you know the disaster in the Gulf region on the news at every minute seems like repetative nightmare. I thought we could start a discussion on the subject, on ways we can possibly help and also the possibility of the oil slicks and sludge affecting us. After all we do kite on the ocean and by the latest report oil has shown up in Pensacola, Florida making it's way towards the tip of Florida. The latest report this morning indicated that the oil could creep around the tip off the keys and travel up the gulf stream affecting East coast beaches. I don't know to what extent or if that is true but there's the possibility that looms in the back of my mind.

Yesterday while getting my hair cut I learned that human hair is being used to absorb the oil that runs along coast line in the gulf. One pound of human hair can absorb 1 quart of oil in 1 minute and can be reused up to 100 times for the same job. The salon chain (The Hair Cuttery) is shipping off all of the hair they cut that ends up on the floor to be used in tea bag like sacs to float in the water to absorb the oil. Who would have thought that waste hair could do that? I certainly did not but it sounds like it sure beats dumping chemical dispersants into the water.

I was thinking that maybe all of us could help even with minimal effort or more. Sounds corny to get a hair cut at a specific place but what if every hair salon and barber shop in the country sent human hair to be used in this method? How many times a month do you get your hair cut? What if we can spread this word to other kite surfing forums and surfing forums? What if we all got a hair cut on the same dates?

That is just one idea but I think we need to pool ideas and step to the plate to help get into this movement because this affects us all in one way or another but affects us even more as kite boarders. The Surfrider Foundation's (www.surfriderfoundation.org) key mission: The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education. They already have information up on their website but I really think we should be doing something as a community. So Masskiters how can we help and what can we do? Ideas, suggestions, brainstorming is greatly needed to turn this into some action.