Balloon Releases

Balloon Releases: Beautiful and deadly

I have a hard time finding the right time to release [pun intended] this blog because when I remember to write it, it is because someone I know has just had a Memorial Balloon Release for a deceased loved one. Seems like writing a blog just after a friend has spearheaded the event, is pointing a direct finger at them during their time of mourning. However, it’s been a few months since I’ve seen a release so I’m going to say this fast!

The releasing of balloons is a beautiful 90 seconds. Like thousands of brightly colored feathers on the wind, balloons can gently drift off out of sight and then quickly out of mind. However, as a degreed Zoologist, Naturalist, and self-proclaimed Environmentalist, I must remind us of the complete balloon release story!

Single events include one balloon release has been linked as the probable cause of a fiery small plane crash after hundreds of balloons were sucked into the plane’s engines and a few Mylar balloons that tangled on a power cable, which as a result, fell to the ground setting fire to a row of cars and left thousands of homes and businesses without power.

Why I choose to release bubbles not balloons:

-Within our families, the balloon is the #1 toy to cause damage or death.

-In 2012, balloons were found to be the #1 litter on the ground.

-Beach surveys have shown that balloon litter has tripled in the last 10 years.

-Livestock, cows, horses, dogs, cats, sheep, tortoises, birds, and other animals’ mouths, necks, feet, limbs, and wings can be entangled preventing them from moving or eating causing severe injury or a slow, painful death.

-Sea turtles are specifically at risk because they feed on jellies which look just like balloons when in water.

-Dolphins, whales, and many other marine life can also be hurt or killed by ingestion or entanglement.

-Balloons can travel thousands of miles before deflating or becoming tangled.

-Balloons can reach remote places such as wetlands or islands not ever seen by humans.

-Balloons scraps can last 5 months on land and 1 year in water before beginning to deteriorate.

-Even biodegradable balloons have enough time to get consumed by an animals

We are faced regularly with ways Mother Earth is being damaged from Rainforest destruction to glacier melting, often feeling like it’s a loss cause. As humans (and animals), we are most likely to repeat behaviors that are easiest. I hope considering an alternative to a balloon release while honoring a loved one is an easy choice for you!