What Goes Up Must Come Down: The Detrimental Effects Balloons Have On The Environment
This week we celebrated my son’s third birthday. It was a bitter-sweet moment, watch a child blossom from a baby into a “little man” comes with a mixture of emotions, you so badly want to hold on to them as babies, but at the same time you are eager to see who they become as they learn and grow. Anyway, this week we had a bunch of festivities planned, all to celebrated the “threenagers” birthday. Of course, this entailed setting up a party, and what’s a party without balloons?
The day before his Big Day, I flurried around the shops doing last minute preparations. I also made a stop at the party shop to fill his balloons up with helium, because floating balloons are the “in” thing. When it was time to party, my kid was thrilled with the balloons, I mean I could have gotten them for him as gifts (instead of spending a good amount on “useless” toys) and his day would have been made! As we cleaned up after the fun and games however, my son let some of the balloon strings slip, and to his dismay they floated up, up and away.
At this point, I had the guilty realisation that these air-filled rubber balls where now polluting the environment, we had just done something terrible! I was upset with myself for even getting the balloons in the first place! It was at the point that I swore to myself that I will not purchase another balloon ever again, and I decided to read up about the harmful effects that balloons have on the environment, to justify my decision and set it in stone. My findings were shocking!
The Risk Balloons Pose To The Environment
Litter
What goes up, must come down. Pollution created by non-biodegradable products is a huge problem. The most popular balloon types are latex and mylar. Latex is considered the safer option, since it is biodegradable. However, findings have proved that decomposition can take anywhere from six months to four years — giving this piece of rubber plenty of time to cause destruction.
Animals
Animals often mistake litter, rubber balloons included, as food. Sea turtles for instance often think the fluttering piece of rubber is a juicy jellyfish, but once ingested, balloons tend to cause stomach or intestinal blockages, eventually leading to starvation and unfortunately, death. To add to this, the strings or ribbons attached to balloons can cause harm too. They often trap and entangle animals, causing infections, amputations, starvation, drowning and death as a result.
Helium
Helium is such an important element:
we use it in MRI scanners, fiber optics, welding, cooling nuclear reactors, cryogenics, lasers, LCDs, rare document preservation and breathing ventilators for infants - https://earth911.com/living-well-being/events-entertainement/balloons-environment/
Once helium is released into the air, it drifts into space, and cannot be replaced. Should we really be wasting it on frivolous balloons?
My research was my own rude awakening and I cam to the strong realisation that our frivolous fascination with balloons really needs to come to an end! It’s a selfish human requirement, on that we need to start living without. There are many other things one can do to brighten up a celebration or to acknowledge a memorable occasion. Use fabric bunting to add touches of color, entertain kids with pinwheels or paper streamers. Mark occasions by letting wreaths of leaves and flowers run down a river or float across the ocean.
Paper airplanes are just as much fun as balloons and do not harm the environment.
Most people don't stop to think about this untill they come across the message. Thanks for pointing this out.
A great post @sweetpea.
I wish there were more people who think like you, there are people that DO know the effects that it can cause on the enviroment, but they just don't care because "having fun" is more important. Yesterday I saw a heartbreaking image on facebook where a lot sea turtles died because they mistook plastic bags as jellyfish, it's up to us to raise awareness and educate people. I definitely say no to balloons and anything that destroys environment! Children need to grow up in a clean enviroment :)