Oil Cleanup Device To Be Demonstrated on Downtown Mall

Virginia group urges innovation – creates community where individuals make a difference

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The volunteer group GulfClean.org is focusing on straightforward, realistic devices that can be built by individuals and fishermen to help filter and extract oil from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A centrifugal separator that may help clean oil from the Gulf is just the first of such inventions, and the hope is that the device will be valuable for spurring additional ideas on how to solve the problem. Powered by a small boat motor, the device has been effective at separating oil from water in a contained system.

This device will be demonstrated on Friday, June 11th at 5:30 pm. The event will be held outside the Blue Ridge Eco Shop at 313 East Main Street on the downtown mall . Partnering with GulfClean.org will be solar generator company SUNRNR of Virginia, Inc (“Sun Runner”) – powering the separator with clean, efficient solar power.

Background:

A growing community of inventors, students, business people and concerned citizens has formed at www.gulfclean.org, where innovation meets necessity. Spurred by the disaster currently unfolding in the Gulf, the group has rallied around the call for immediate action. With oil plumes spewing into the gulf for over 50 days, each passing day reinforces the fact that inaction is no longer an option.

While the group was originally formed by a small group of James Madison University alumni and one professor, the community has grown exponentially and has garnered interest from as far away as Canada and Mexico. The group is united by a common purpose – the desire to provide a supportive gathering place where its members can come together and collaborate, fostering partnerships that will ultimately lead to new and exciting developments in oil cleanup technology.

GulfClean.org’s efforts can be viewed at http://www.gulfclean.org, http://www.facebook.com/GulfClean and https://twitter.com/gulfclean.

SUNRNR can be found at http://www.sunrnr.com/, and the Blue Ridge Eco Shop at http://www.blueridgeecoshop.com/.