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As Hollywood like as it might sound, actor Kevin Costner may hold a solution to help clean up the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Not as an actor, though, but as an entrepreneur who has invested more than 20 million dollars to create machines that can recycle and separate oil from water. Heard by members of Congress on Wednesday June 9, Costner recently sold 32 machines to BP. Are we about to see the end of this environmental tragedy?
How Costner’s Machines Work
Marketed by Ocean Therapy Solutions, the portable machines are centrifugal separators and come in 5 different sizes, the bigger of which (Model V20) can clean up to 200 gallons of water per minute, about 50 gallons faster than the well is thought to be leaking. They collect the oil on one side, while returning the previously soiled water back into the ocean, with a level of 99% purity. Click here to see a video of how this technology works.
15 Years Of Investment
Kevin Costner’s machines were not developed overnight. The actor/entrepreneur/ environmentalist started investing into this technology 15 years ago. He purchased Ocean Therapy Solutions from the government for $24 million, and tenaciously worked toward his goal despite oil industries’ apathetic reactions when he would demonstrate his technology to them. The price for his machines is unknown but the price that BP, already facing nearly 100 lawsuits, will have to pay to compensate people, industries and the environment will surely be more.
Mr. Costner rightfully said “that as long as the oil industry profits from the sea, they have an obligation to protect it.â€
 
Centrifugal separator technology owned by actor Kevin Costner
Actors gone environmentalists are not a new phenomenon, but should not be dismissed as marketing ploys or fads: Robert Redford is a spokesperson for the NRDC alongside environmental activist Leonardo di Caprio while Kentucky-native Ashley Judd denounces mountaintop removal practices. If their stardom can help bring the general public’s awareness to important environmental issues, then we are hoping more actors step up.
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Image Credits: Los Angeles Times. Defense Visual Information Center © Wikipedia Commons
JustLiveGreener brings you in depth-information about environmental issues as well as tips for a greener, more eco-friendly way of living that respects nature while enhancing quality of life.
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