Arlene Pecora News: FAU's Outreach for Gulf Oil Spill

With the oil spill wreaking havoc on our environment, Florida Atlantic University is taking action to prevent this disaster from doing any more damage.

Outreach for the Gulf Oil Spill

• Individuals interested in providing assistance with a variety of tasks in response to the Gulf Oil Spill may visit www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org to find opportunities within and outside of Florida.
• FAU employees and students who will be involved in oil spill clean-up activities may visit the FAU Environmental Health & Safety website, www.fau.edu/facilities/ehs, to learn about how to perform those activities safely. More information regarding the oil spill may also be found on the EH&S website.
• As part of the SAVE Message(http://www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org/index.html#SAVE), all volunteers are reminded:
  • Safety first!
    • Oil is a hazardous material and should be handled by highly trained professionals only.
    • Volunteers should not attempt to clean impacted beaches themselves or attempt to rescue oiled wildlife on their own. Touching oil is a health risk and disposing of it improperly may cause additional environmental damage. Distressed wildlife may become aggressive and cause harm to you.
  • Always heed local warnings from public health officials.
    • Do not trespass on closed beaches. Even leaving your footprints behind may cause environmental damage.
    • Volunteers should not expect to just show up to affected beaches and work. Showing up puts you at risk for health problems, hinder the efforts of response personnel, and may cause further irreparable damage to impacted beaches.

How You Can Help

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University is actively engaged in responding to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster and we want to help keep you abreast of the latest, most accurate developments.

Please join our efforts in helping to solve this crisis by learning more and supporting the FAU Harbor Branch efforts for recovery. Here are three ways you can help us respond to the environmental crisis:

• Donate – Visit http://fauf.fau.edu/HBOIfund and designate your gift to the Research Development Fund in support of FAU Harbor Branch research.
• Volunteer – The Florida Wildlife Commission is coordinating volunteer interest for wildlife rehabilitation. Please see the guidelines for becoming an oiled-wildlife rehabilitator. For more information on how to volunteer for other efforts, visit www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org.
• Spread the Message – Connect to FAU websites to get the latest updates on FAU efforts (see links below) Use e-mail, Facebook and Twitter to help us get the word out that FAU and Harbor Branch are taking an active role in this disaster and everybody’s participation can make a difference. FAU Harbor Branch Facebook www.facebook.com/HarborBranch and Twitter http://twitter.com/HarborBranch.
  

As an active member of FAU’s Broward County’s President’s Community Council, Arlene Pecora is dedicated to helping this facility grow and succeed in the community as well as support their campuses.

FAU Oil Spill Experts