By Jay Polk - bio | email
MOULTRIE, GA (WALB) – Every day, more oil continues to spew into the Gulf of Mexico. Every hour, thousands more gallons make their way into the water, on their way to the beaches.
Like many people, Moultrie Tech student Nicole Jackson was shocked by what she saw on her TV screen: "I didn't like that," she said.
Jackson has a deep love for animals and the environment and was disappointed to see the effect that the spill was having on the wildlife and ecosystems of the region.
"That hurt me, especially because of the birds and the sea life," she said.
She was inspired to do something to help out.
"What can we do as a campus and as a whole to donate items to the oil spill to help," she asked.
But what could one person do in the face of such an environmental disaster? She came up with a plan - right off of the top of her head.
All of the hair that is left on the floor after a haircut would just seem to be waste. But it gave Nicole an idea of how to help the people in the Gulf region.
As it turns out, hair is an excellent absorber of oil, so she used her friendships with the cosmetology students: "I know a lot of the students in here," she said.
And since Monday, they've joined other salons around the area in taking up the hair that they've been taking off of their customers.
Sara Kimmel, a Cosmetology instructor said, "I thought it was a great idea. So immediately I went to the computer and signed us up. We've got a receptacle with 'human hair only' on it and we've gotten started on it."
The students and instructors have been happy to help the cause.
"It makes me feel good. It's like you're doing your good deed," she said.
Meanwhile, when Nicole is done with her early education program, she'll have an excellent lesson on sustainability for her future students.
"That was one of the things (that is part of the program) you want to promote clean drinking water," she said.
And best of all as one more pound of hair gets donated one more small part of the Gulf oil spill is cleaned up.
Moultrie Tech plans to continue to collect the hair for as long as it is needed. To see how you can help, you can go to the website of the organization that's leading the hair donation drive.
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