Stylists at the Casal Aveda Institute began offering 125 free hair tests to Aveda guests today. The hair tests were part of a larger collaboration between Aveda The Art and Science of Pure Flower and Plant Essences™ and the environmental group Greenpeace. The goal of the initiative is to test 1,000 people for mercury exposure at select Aveda Institutes this September.

"This unique relationship was forged between Aveda and Greenpeace because we both share a common belief that clean, renewable energy, energy conservation and energy efficiency are the best and only solutions to meet the challenges of mercury contamination, air pollution, and climate change - all the results of fossil fuels," stated Mary Tkach, executive director of environmental sustainability for Aveda.

The Greenpeace Mercury Study was created in response to a recent proposal to weaken attempts to reduce mercury emissions from power plants in the United States, the single largest source of mercury in the country, by 90 percent by 2008.

"Mercury emissions from coal power plants are dangerous and toxic to our environment and the fish we eat," stated Kristin Casper, Greenpeace Clean Energy Now! campaigner. "The American people have a right to know what is in their bodies."

While elevated levels of mercury are harmful to everyone, women of childbearing age are especially at risk because developing fetuses are vulnerable to mercury contamination. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists estimate that one out of every six children born in America, approximately 630,000 children, have a risk of unsafe levels of mercury in their body. "Exposure to mercury in the womb is
particularly dangerous and can affect the development of memory, attention and language skills."

As part of a nationwide Greenpeace scientific study, Aveda guests will offer a small lock of hair to be taken while getting a haircut. Each participant will receive their personal results by mail indicating the level of the mercury in their body and providing data for a national study that will be released in early 2005. "This is a great
opportunity to talk one-on-one with our guests about protecting their health from dirty energy. We hope to inspire them to support America moving forward with clean renewable energy investments that will prevent their children and families from being harmed by coal-fired power plants," says Teresa Rankin of the Casal Aveda Institute.

An academic laboratory, the Environmental Quality Institute at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, is performing the analysis for Greenpeace’s Mercury Study. The study is part of Greenpeace's global Clean Energy Now! Campaign that is committed to ending our addiction to fossil fuels by promoting the increased use of clean renewable energy and energy efficiency as solutions for the world's growing power needs.