The Gulf oil spill has many feeling helpless and wondering what they can possibly do to help. Rest assured that there are an array of volunteer programs and disaster relief organizations that you can join, in addition to a variety of ways you can help on your own. Here are just five ways you can aid the Gulf oil spill relief efforts.

 

1. Help to Make Boom

Matter of Trust, a charitable organization focusing on sustainable systems, is filling shrimp bags, mesh sleeves, and even nylons with all sorts of hair and fur to make boom. These boom bags are rolled along the beaches and positioned on the water’s surface to collect oil. The public can assist this renewable relief effort by collecting hair, fur, fleece, feathers, and nylons and by donating to Matter of Trust to aid the purchase of mesh bags.

Please visit Matter of Trust’s website to sign-up and donate: http://www.matteroftrust.org/

2. Donate

 

For those who cannot travel to the Gulf or who do not live in the immediately affected areas, donating is one of the easiest ways to help. Your donations are immensely needed to support groups working to clean up and protect the Gulf and those that rescue and care for wildlife and their habitats.

Where to Donate:

3. Write

Write to elected leaders opposing the proposed expansion of offshore drilling in United States’ waters. The public has to ensure that a disaster like the Gulf oil spill does not happen again and we must encourage the exploration of other sources of sustainable energy. Bloggers and the countless others who use social media networks like Facebook and Twitter should write and share their opinions about the oil spill, while encouraging followers to help and donate. Spreading awareness about the oil spill and its effects is one of the easiest ways to help.

Sign Offshore Drilling Petitions:

4. Report Oiled Wildlife and Shorelines

If you live near the Gulf or travel to the area to volunteer, you can assist the relief efforts by calling Deepwater Horizon Response to report oiled and injured animals, as well as oiled shorelines

  • Report Oiled Wildlife: (866) 557-1401
  • Report Oiled Shoreline: (866) 448-5816
  • Report Health Concerns: (888) 623-0287

iPhone users can also download the free application MoGO (Mobile Gulf Observatory), which allows users to take photos of oiled wildlife and submit them to the Wildlife Hotline with a GPS locator code provided by your iPhone. Once your photos have been uploaded and geo-tagged, you are then connected to the Wildlife Hotline and trained responders can be deployed to the area

5. Volunteer

Most organizations are urging the public to register to volunteer and wait to be contacted for opportunities to assist. Though this may seem frustrating at first glance, volunteers must keep in mind that there are serious health concerns related to the handling of crude oil and oiled wildlife. Specific training is needed for most hands-on relief efforts and local residents need the work. Rest assured that these volunteer organizations are working tirelessly to prepare effective and safe volunteer programs, organize volunteer databases, and coordinate efforts between organizations. Once contacted, volunteers can expect to rescue and care for injured wildlife (with proper training), monitor and clean-up shorelines, manage and transport supplies, support rescue operations and more!

Best Organizations to Sign-Up with:

State specific volunteer opportunities:

*Remember: DO NOT attempt to conduct any clean up or recovery activities on your own. Even well-intentioned people can inadvertently interfere with important recovery efforts.