As the Deepwater Horizon BP Gulf oil spill gains more and more press coverage, many want to help, but might be unsure how to make a contribution or volunteer. An excellent resource to keep up to date with all the activity related to the Deepwater Horizon Spill is at the spill’s main website. Here are some simple ways, regardless of where you live or your budget, that you can help with the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill.
How to Help from Anywhere
While it may seem like such a simple product, Dawn dish liquid is one of the best ways oil-covered animals and birds get clean. Dawn’s parent company Proctor and Gamble has donated thousands of bottles of Dawn for the cleanup, but the individuals cleaning the wildlife of the Gulf will always need more. The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary is accepting Dawn, as well as kennels, towels, gas gift cards, paper towels, and bottled water so the Sanctuary can continue to care for and treat injured birds. The items should be shipped to the Sanctuary at 18328 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores, 33785.
Booms have been seen all over the news in an effort to protect the shorelines along the Gulf coast. These booms are made from a variety of materials, including hair and nylons. Human and animal hair and fur are great materials to absorb oil. The organization Matter of Trust is accepting donations of hair, fur and nylons to build these booms. SOS Save Our Shore is also collecting pool noodles and dollar tree gift cards to purchase more supplies to build booms. GRIT (Gulf Response Involvement Team) needs lots of every day items to help with the cleanup. From items as small as zip ties to larger items like bolt cutters and garbage cans lots of items in all price ranges are needed. Anyone who would like to donate any items can email a volunteer to arrange for a delivery or to mail supplies.
Everyone loves to shop, so anytime you can shop to help a cause, what could be better?! The artisan site Etsy, has developed a list of items available for purchase with the profits going to OxFam America and the National Wildlife Federation. Also consider purchasing from any websites where shops are located in the Gulf coast. More than anything, these people want to work, not receive handouts. If you need to purchase anything, look for stores in that region.
There are a number of organizations asking for cash donations to purchase supplies and help those who live in the Gulf. Three reputable organizations are Save our Seabirds in Florida, The National Park Foundation and the United Way. Second Harvest and Catholic Charities are working together to provide food and outreach to those who live in the Gulf region and have been affected by this disaster.
One important step everyone can do and doesn’t cost anything is to write the President and ask that he repeal the Jones Act. This will allow for foreign vessels to come into the Gulf to help with the cleanup. Countries from all over the world have offered to help. However, until this act is repealed, they are unable to provide assistance.
How to Help Locally
If you live near any of the areas affected by the BP Gulf oil spill, there are a number of ways you can help, depending on your availability and location.
There are a number of different organizations that are calling for volunteers to help clean and transport birds. Organizations like the National Audubon Society are training individuals how to properly clean and care for oiled birds. If you find an oiled or injured bird, or other form of wildlife, it is important that you do not touch it! Call toll-free 866-557-1401 so a professional can come and collect it for processing and cleaning.
If you are unable to help clean wildlife, you may be able to help build booms. If you are near Fairhope, AL, contact Oil Spill Volunteers website. Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research lists all the latest information about the oil spill and volunteer opportunities around the Gulf region.
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to help out, regardless of how much you are able to give or if you are local to the Gulf region or not. These are our fellow Americans in need of our help. I hope you consider taking a small act and helping out the people who have been so deeply affected by this disaster.
We CAN clean up the Gulf Coast!!!
- RestoreTheGulf.gov official U.S. Government Web site, taking over content and functions from Deepwater Horizon Response site
- Deepwater Horizon Response from the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command (U.S. Government/BP/Transocean)
- Deepwater BP Oil Spill at Whitehouse.gov
- Deepwater Horizon Incident, Gulf of Mexico from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Deepwater Horizon Joint Investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard and Mineral Management Service
- Gulf of Mexico response from BP, including live video feed of riser
- Transocean Response Site – Transocean
- Smithsonian’s Ocean Portal
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- Gulf Oil Spill Response Leader: ‘How Clean Is Clean?’ (huffingtonpost.com)
- Gulf Oil Spill Response Leader: ‘How Clean Is Clean?’ (alternet.org)
- Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” overlaps BP spill zone (reuters.com)
- Bated breath in Gulf ahead of oil well ‘kill’ operation (calgaryherald.com)
- BP oil spill could affect Maritime plovers (cbc.ca)
- Gulf oil spill: Not as bad as we first thought? (csmonitor.com)
- BP Will Attempt to Permanently Plug Leaking Oil Well Today (inhabitat.com)
- Lead state agency websites
- Alabama Governor’s Office
- Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
- Emergency.Louisiana.gov
- Mississippi DEQ
- Directories
- Deepwater Horizon oil spill at the Open Directory Project
- Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico online resources from The Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant Programs
- Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill links to government documents and resources from the University of South Alabama
- Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill at Google Crisis Response
- News media
- Full coverage on C-SPAN video library
- Full coverage on CNN
- Full coverage on The Guardian
- Full coverage from the Houston Chronicle
- Full coverage from the Los Angeles Times Greenspace
- Full coverage from The Miami Herald
- Full coverage on The New York Times
- Full coverage from The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
- Full coverage from the Press-Register (Mobile, Alabama)
- Full coverage from The Wall Street Journal
- Full coverage from GRITtv
- Full coverage from WBBH-TV
- Full coverage from The News-Press (Ft. Myers, FL)
- Interactive Maps
- Mapping the Response to BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico (GeoPlatform.gov)
- Gulf Oil Spill Tracker interactive map and form for citizen reporting (SkyTruth.org)
- Map and Estimates of the Oil Spilled (The New York Times)
- Where Oil Has Made Landfall (The New York Times)
- Images
- Gulf Oil Spill 2010 Projected Trajectory from Louisiana Earth
- Rig fire at Deepwater Horizon April 21, ’10 video at CNN iReport
- GOES-13 satellite images on the CIMSS Satellite Blog
- Animations of the disaster and sealing efforts
I am so saddened to see the suffering and destruction caused by this disaster but I believe we can help these people recover and repair the environmental damage.
Please everyone, lets all try to do what we can to help the effort!
This article was so helpful and informative! I have always wanted to help but had no idea that their was such simple ways that I could make a difference! I am going out to buy and ship some Dawn right now to help those poor animals! I am also going to write my president about the Jones Act! America needs to WAKE UP and realize what its doing to our earth! We will all soone be dead as mother nature can only take so much!!!
With so many people dying why are we focused on helping the birds? Yes we need to help in the gulf but why not focus on all the people who no longer have employment because they cannot fish? Their families are starving! The people in the gulf need a break… they need relief! In Lousiana they were just recovering from Katrina and now this….. America stop worrying about the birds and start worring about your fellow americans!
Yeah, there are many ways for all of to help but BP needs to be held fully accountable!!!! They are losing cash fash and may not be able to foot the bill for this disaster.
Its uplifting to know that a lot of people are working hand and hand in there own ways to save the Gulf Coast. Kudos guys! I hope that with your lead a lot more will be encourage to join this noble endeavor.
I reckon with that damage we are looking at a long time just to clean up the spill and restore everything, or at least try to. So every hand, every volunteer counts. Our youth group have organized programs too to get something to help those people who are directly affected by the spill. It is so fulfilling. I hope more people would experience this.
What saddens me the most is the effect this is going to have with our environment. I just hope that this won't happen again, poor Mother Earth had suffered enough already.
Let's clean up the Gulf Coast!
Let that be our battlecry until we get to the last drop of oil. Come on, guys! Lets rally up some more people to help.
This is great news! Its always great to note how we all stand up as one whenever something tragic happens in our country. I just hope that moving forward that we no longer wait and act to prevent it beforehand. Just my 2 cents.
Well done!
Thank you for putting up the list of links, this is going to be helpful for people who are looking for organizations to channel their donations to. I will email your list to our company distr, I hope everyone will do what they can to help out.
My friends and I have decided to spend the remainder of the summer to volunteer for the Gulf Coast clean up. We have yet to choose the organization so your list is actually what we need. Thanks!
Hi, thanks for this good news. I wonder though what have been done for the many locals who have their livelihood affected by the spill. I hope they are also getting the help they need most.
The first time I saw this on the news, the first thing I thought of was “why did this happen?” I don't know, I just thought that with all the sophisticated technology we have today I'm sure they would have prevented something catasthropic like this to be prevented.
We can still save the Gulf Coast and we have to be positive about the whole situation and stop pointing fingers. It just slows down the proce ess, let us focus first on how we can help with the program. We can do this!
This should serve as a permanent reminder to all of us for the need to take care of our environment. We only have 1 earth, its our responsibility to take good care of it.
I agree with the previous post, where are the relief for the families who have lost their livelihood? I just hope that the relief for those family are well on its way or we will be looking at a lot more issues than we already have now.
Kudos to Dawn! I never knew they were effective in cleaning up oil from birds. Great information, I will buy some Dawn and ship them out ASAP. Lets all help out in our own little way.
I can't imagine how much residual effect this would leave in the coast. I just wish the government has a sound plan for it. We are looking at many years before the people and biodiversity in the gulf is restored.
Major props to all the organizations who are taking the lead to clean up and help out in the Gulf. They deserve a big pat in the back and a warm smile. Thank you!
With the extensive media coverage the BP spill is getting right now I hope the relief program would be covered too. I don't know if the families who are affected are getting assistance. Please send these families help!!!
Let this be a wake up call for all of us, Mother Earth is crying with all the damage she had incurred due to the irresponsibilities we have shown over the past centuries. This has got to stop. Lets clean up the Gulf Coast.
I like this. Nothing beats a feel good story of people working hand and hand to accomplish something great! Kudos to all the people who help regain the gulf! We can do this, y'all!
This incident should serve as a constant reminder of the effects of ill-treatment if not total neglect of the environment, The government should be very firm with people or companies who damage our environment.
I saw a clip somewhere regarding a firsherman's point of view with whats happening in the Gulf Coast after the spill. I could be the sorrow of the man who had lost the only means of employment he have is now lost and with no relief in sight i can just see the despair in his eyes. So saddening.
maybe we can all budjet in and help clean the oil spill hi im jamya clark and im 11 and i love to help clean the oil soill
maybe we can all budjet in and help clean the oil spill hi im jamya clark and im 11 and i love to help clean the oil soill
maybe we can all budjet in and help clean the oil spill hi im jamya clark and im 11 and i love to help clean the oil soill