Today I got two emails from different people asking me to contribute used pantyhose to mop up the Gulf oil spill. Both emails mention Matter of Trust. That’s some buzz! Matter of Trust is a non-profit that operates an international natural fiber recycling program. Its volunteers are collecting human hair and hosiery to create huge fiber booms to sweep up the oil from the spill. Imagine giant dreadlocks.
Beyond being in the right place at the right time, Matter of Trust is using an essential culture-tipping tool–local action. It has woven a grass-roots network of entrepreneurs–namely hair salon owners. My salon is a member of their hair recycling network. It’s the kind of symbiotic collaboration that brings people face to face with a cause. And few things are more personal than getting your hair cut. When an email like this comes straight from my salon, the cause feels closer to me. No matter how digital culture shapes our lives, it can’t replace certain types of intimacy. The combination of human touch with social media is insanely powerful.
I got my hair cut last week. Hopefully, my strands are doing some good out there. Now to rifle through my drawers for some dead-beat hosiery to donate. Or is that TMI?
