Four hundred and twenty thousand pounds. That’s how much waste salons in the United States create on a daily basis, from paper to plastic to foil. Novak Hair Studios has taken that on as a mission. The salon — which bills itself as Fort Worth’s first “zero-waste” salon — wants to keep both the planet and people beautiful.

This weekend, the salon will raise awareness and send a message about sustainability efforts at Fort Worth’s annual ArtsGoggle. 

Seven models will strut an eco-inspired catwalk, each representing different types of waste being tossed in salons each day. Models will be decorated from head to toe in full recyclables. Repurposed, eco-friendly looks include: 

• Paper
  A model will wear a dress made entirely out of magazines, because 206,000 pounds of paper is used in salons every day.
• Aerosols
  Aerosol cans will be used to create a headpiece for the model to emphasize their impact on the ozone layer.
• Foil/Metal
  A headpiece made from metal tubes and a foil dress will be worn by a drag queen, to inform viewers that using metal products can greatly decrease the amount of waste salons produce.
• Cardboard Hair Color Boxes
  Boxes have been turned into fringe to create a Tina Turner-like dress, promoting the use of recycled materials. 
• Gloves
  Because millions of plastic gloves ending up in landfills each year, a dress made out of the material will be worn by one of the models.
• Plastic Bottles
  Bottles have been turned into a two-piece outfit to emphasize the plastic being wasted every day.
• Hair Color
  A male model will be painted and carry a clear backpack full of hair color waste in order to shed light on the 42,122 pounds of hair product that contaminate water systems every day. 

The models will lead Goggle-goers to a pop-up exhibition showcasing the waste traditionally misplaced by the salon industry — and the ways the Novak Hair Studios is repurposing 95 percent of it, according to a release.

Save the bees

The environmentally friendly efforts don’t stop there. Novak Hair Studios donates to local charities such as the HoneyBee Conservancy. To bring attention to the charity — and force viewers to think about the alarming rate at which bees have been dying — the salon will have an “Observation Beehive” on hand where Google-goers can experience live bees.

There also will be a display for the charity Matter of Trust, which recycles hair clippings. A site specific installation will demonstrate the process of recycling hair clippings to soak up oil spills in the ocean. More than 35 pounds (six weeks worth) of hair collected at Novak Hair Studios will display the before and after of the “hair booms” — a process created by the Matter of Trust. Hair clippings are one of the most absorbent organic materials on Earth, according to the organization.

Benjamin Novak Hudgins

Salon owner and founder Benjamin Novak Hudgins says the arts event is “an opportunity to stand in front of thousands of people and show them that a simple haircut can do more for the future of our environment than anything they could ever imagine.”

Hudgins has found many unique ways to cut back on the waste that 99 percent of salons throw out every day. ” We collect the contaminated foils and send them off to be melted down and used to create electricity,” Hudgins told Texas Lifestyle Magazine.  “We even take the leftover chemicals that would have been washed away into drinking and groundwater and send it to be spun to separate chemicals from clean drinking water.”

The event is from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, at various locations around Fort Worth, with over 900 artists in attendance. You can learn more about ArtsGoggle here. 

PHOTO GALLERY

The Novak Hair Studios opened in April. Here’s a look at the space.
Photos by Anthony Ford Tourmax via Novak Hair Studios.