A balloon release is something that has become almost a routine after someone passes away. It is usually a ceremony or gathering organized by friends of the deceased, on behalf of the family. While having a gathering to come together to mourn the loss of a brother, sister, daughter, classmate, friend, or any other title is a great way to bring the community together and also express the feelings and love for the decedent. These gatherings are beautiful.
What the balloons do after you release them at the ceremony is not beautiful, at all. Balloons are made of rubber, latex, polychloroprene, or a nylon fabric that can come in a huge variety of sizes and colors. The balloons to have them release properly are filled with a gas called helium that makes the balloons float and fly away when let go of. Now, what we all learned in grade school Newton’s Third Law of Motion, what goes up, must come down. After the helium deflates out of the tiny pores in the material of the balloon, the balloon has to come back down to the ground. The trash that has been surveyed in the past ten years has tripled from the amount found in the late 1990s and early 2000s, especially on the beach.
When a balloon pops or deflates and gravitates back to the Earth it creates an entirely new and very deadly situation for our wildlife and animals. The balloons are usually creating an issue one of two ways. One – they are ingested by the animal and they block the intestinal track. They slowly starve the animal to death because they cannot receive any nutrients, they cannot eat anything and they endure an extremely slow and painful death. The second way balloons usually affect the environment is through the strings that are tied to them. The strings become tangled in the animal's extremities and can make them unable to move to find food, shelter or safety from predators.
Now I know what you're thinking; they make biodegradable balloons. Yes, you are correct, they do make biodegradable balloons, but biodegradable is an interesting word in the world of balloons as plastic is biodegradable, it just takes time. A balloon, whether you use the word biodegradable or not, can take anywhere from six months to four years to decompose depending on the size and exact material. Six months. That's 182.62 days. That is more than enough time to harm an animal or the environment.
There are certain laws in some states that restrict balloon releases. However, Texas is not one of those states. Florida is a state with probably the best laws regarding balloon release. They do not allow the intentional release of balloons, in gatherings, for ceremonies, for anything. They do not even recognize biodegradable balloons as an actual thing. States are starting to realize just how awful balloons have on our wildlife and environment and are beginning to follow the states with harsher laws.
Balloons are great for ceremonies and are great thoughts for a gathering to mourning the loss of a loved one, but they have an unforgiving impact on our Earth. Now, I'm not saying you should not have balloons for a ceremony or an event, but I am saying you should know the everlasting effect they have on the wildlife we share this land with.
The wildlife and the environment do not deserve this torture we put them through just to enjoy a ceremonial balloon release. Releasing a single balloon has the potential to injure, torture and kill innocent animals who are doing nothing other than just trying to survive in the world we are already destroying in many different ways, we do not need to add to the incredibly too long list.
There are alternatives to balloon releases, you can find a list of activities.
Please do us all a favor and don't release balloons. It needs to stop. It is not funny, it doesn't make a ceremony any more special releasing the balloons, it only makes it worse, creates a larger problem that people will do nothing about later and complain at the same time. It is an ever growing issue that needs your action to make any difference. It is in your hands now, don't release that balloon.
