Oil Spill Hair Mats
2001-present
Natural Surplus = Hair



2007 San Francisco City and County Toxics Clean Up Division of the Department of the Environment will be using 1000 of our Oil Spill Hair Mats in their Used Motor Oil Awareness Program.

The reason we have to shampoo our hair so often is because hair is the most efficient material for collecting dirt and oil out of the air and water. Our amazing hair mat program is one of our all-time favorites! Outreach to over 300,000 hair salons in the US, Canada, China, India, South Africa and beyond. Barbers and stylists are truly generous and delightful people, who are equally excited about the recycling program and cleaning oil spills. For more information and Salons sign up, click here.

Most people get their hair cut every couple of month,so the salons have been ideal for spreading the word about this program and other green projects that we have. They sweep up their hair clippings into the large boxes they get from shampoo deliveries to mail off to the depot we use in Northern California. The mats are extremely efficient at soaking up oil spills in harbors and the toxic drips in garage pans under your leaky cars. See Demo.

Hair can also be stuffed into tubes (booms) made from recycled nylons that are tied together and surround a spill. See Our Posters. Some hair is also used in school demos and for research. Finally, for you at home, hair is a slow nitrogen release and it's great for spreading in gardens. Rose growers LOVE hair. For commercial gardening and round hair mats for flower pots, check out our friends at www.SmartGrow.us
MofT General Fund





Oil-Eating Mushrooms That Cling To Hair Mats
2002 - Present
Natural Surplus = Fungus, mushrooms, mold



Just when you thought it couldn't get better. We were discussing how nature cleans up oil when it bubbles up from underground periodically. Fungus is the answer. Mold and mushrooms cling to the dirt at the shore, where they grow slowly by eating and absorbing oil until it is broken down into hydrocarbons, helping remediate the spot. At the same time were were discussing the delightful topic of fungus on nails and hair... And it clicked. MofT, Fungi Perfecti, The Mycelium Society of San Francisco and Weston Sollutions are all involved in looking into what could be an all-natural, compostable, self-cleaning, oil spill hair mat innoculated with mushrooms. For more information, please email us.
MofT General Fund





Biodiesel Project For Oakland, Calfornia School Busses
2003 Spring Semester
Natural Surplus = Vegetable oil (including recycled restaurant french fries grease)



Oakland school busses proactively reduced their exhaust pipe emissions thanks to Michael's Transportation Services leading the trend towards using a biodiesel blend. Less pollution means healthier kids.

Biodiesel, which can be made from soybeans, sunflowers, algae and recycled restaurant fryer fat, has lower emissions than diesel exhaust. “The use of biodiesel, even at a 5% blend, eases the energy markets in the direction of sustainability," said Carol Misseldine, Sustainability Consultant to the City of Oakland.

One barrier to the widespread use of biodiesel is that it costs more than diesel. One way that barrier is being addressed is that restaurants are signing up to recycle their fryer grease for local school busses. Prices are also dependent upon buyer volume.

In order for this project to work, MofT has coordinated a Biodiesel Collaborative. Participants include City staff, biodiesel suppliers, distributors, and fleet managers who want to reduce the environmental impact of their fleets. One intention of the Collaborative is to create the volume necessary to bring the price down.

Future Collaborative participants, including the County of Marin and the City of Oakland, are considering moving in the direction of biodiesel use as well. The City of Berkeley has already had programs using 100% biodiesel for their city fleets.

Golden Gate Petroleum, All-Points Petroleum and Imperial Western Products (IWP) are Collaborative participants providing the biodiesel to Michael’s Transportation for the Oakland School Buses.

Note: This program was terminated when the Oakland School District filed for bankruptcy. Even though the District was unable to pay the final invoices for the biodiesel, Michael's Transportation Services (MTS) honored their agreement to the project and took a loss, providing cleaner fuel to the school kids for the remainder of the semester. It is a real pleasure to have worked with the team at MTS and we look forward to future projects when the school budgets are ready.
MofT General Fund





Veggie Van.org and Biodiesel America
2003 - Present
Natural Surplus = vegetable oil (including recycled restaurant grease)



MofT is the fiscal agent for Veggie Van.org. Josh Tickell is founder of Veggie Van and author of "From The Fryer To The Fuel Tank," widely considered the bible for biodiesel. His most recent book, "Biodiesel America," is being turned into a full-length documentary film.
2003 - Present
Total Raised: $24,813.95
Direct Veggie Van Expenses: $22,233.25 = 95%






SFE Biodiesel For MUNI Feasibility Study with CytoCulture
2005-present
Natural Surplus = Vegetable Oil (including recycled restaurant grease) and algae




MofT is the fiscal agent for the San Francisco Environment Biodiesel for MUNI research project. The goal is to have the entire San Francisco bus fleet running on B20 (20% biodiesel 80% regular diesel) by the end of the first quarter 2007.
2005 - Present
Total Raised: $23,650
Total MUNI Feasibility Study Expenses: $21,723.50 = 90%






Sun Train Feasibility Study
2006 - Present
Natural Surplus = Sunlight / Solar Power



MofT is the fiscal agent for the clean energy, solar train tracks feasibility study in partnership with Sun Train USA. This is a long-term collaborative project that involves gathering several experts and researching benefits of train systems and installation of solar panels on rails.
2006 - Present
Total Budget: $25,000






Algae Blooms Used Biodiesel Production Feasibility Study
2006 - Present
Natural Surplus = Algae

MofT is the coordinator of this program which unites Humboldt University, Biofuels, Native American Fisheries and the University of Hawaii. This is a long-term project with the mission of researching the benefits of collecting the suffocating algae blooms in the ocean and using the lipids for biodiesel.
MofT General Fund