4 minute lesson
Your Spare Hair Could Clean the Ocean!
What if a solution for cleaning our oceans was growing out of your head?
Well, those strands that cover the floor when you (or your pet) get a haircut could actually work towards saving the planet.
The idea to use human hair to clean up oil spills came to hairdresser and innovator, Phillip McCrory, while he was watching footage from the 1989 oil spill in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. He noticed how the animal’s hair attracted the oil; coating their fur and feathers. From there, a brilliant solution was born!
Vox fills us in with all the details!
Why It Matters
Sometimes, the solutions to our problems are right in front of us.
The hair boom’s story of invention is a great example of how you don’t have to be an expert with years of scientific training to come up with great ideas. Observation, testing, and being willing to look at the world with a sense of curiosity is enough to get started!
Oh, and if you know someone who happens to have a whole bunch of hair laying around (hairdressers or pet groomers) take action and let them know about this! You could be working to help the world a little in your own way.
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