Thursday, May 6, 2010

The Oil Spill and How You Can Help

The devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which occurred as the result of an oil rig explosion late last month, has already caused untold ecological damage and is threatening to become an even greater disaster. As of this writing, crude oil continues to pour into the Gulf unabated, and at an alarming rate.

In an effort to contain the leak, humans have towed a four-story concrete-and-steel box out to the location where the oil rig used to be. This giant contraption is to be lowered down to the seabed, where it will hopefully cover the leaking pipe. At that point, in theory, the leaking oil can be pumped up to a tanker. I’m not really sure of all the fine points as to how this is supposed to resolve the situation, but let’s hope it works.

Meanwhile, here’s a way for all us creatures with fur and/or hair to help out. Actually, I read about this on The Cat’s Meow blog yesterday and it’s a great idea. It seems that fur and human hair can be used to make booms that absorb oil, and there’s an environmental organization, Excess Access, that has all this figured out. Right now, they’re collecting excess fur, hair and nylons that can be used to make booms and help contain the oil spill. So during this shedding season, you can put your excess fur to good use (instead of ingesting it and kacking it back up).

For more information, please visit the Excess Access website. Hey, every little bit helps!

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