balloon races

flower_girl · #1 (**permalink**) 16-10-2009, 07:03 PM

Just been reading the news about a boy who recieved a letter form the queen saying she'd found his balloon following a balloon race.

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Beds/Bucks/Herts | Balloon boy gets note from Queen

It got me thinking about balloon races and their impacts on our environment. I checked out Marine Conservation Society and they highlight the consequences of realeasing balloons.

From MSC website:
"Once balloons are released, they can become a serious form of marine pollution. A long list of marine creatures - dolphins, whales, turtles, fish, and seabirds - have been reported with balloons in their stomachs. It is believed that they mistake balloons and other buoyant plastics for their natural prey e.g. jellyfish and squid, and eat them."

this was the web link:
Marine Conservation Society: Balloon Releases: Pollution Factsheet

solus · #2 (**permalink**) 16-10-2009, 11:33 PM

This subject has been discussed at length on the "Waste recycling and Pollution" part of the forum in the past:

Mass Balloon Releases

Mass Balloon release proposed ban in Portsmouth

Release of 1000 black balloons from London's Millennium bridge

I wish organisers of such events would wise up and find better ways of raising money or, better still, all balloon releases were banned by law!

Kayleigh · #3 (**permalink**) 16-10-2009, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by solus

This subject has been discussed at length on the "Waste recycling and Pollution" part of the forum in the past:

Mass Balloon Releases

Mass Balloon release proposed ban in Portsmouth

Release of 1000 black balloons from London's Millennium bridge

I wish organisers of such events would wise up and find better ways of raising money or, better still, all balloon releases were banned by law!

I totally agree...When will it be banned

flower_girl · #4 (**permalink**) 17-10-2009, 08:22 AM

Thanks guys for the links - interesting reading!

I had to cut my inital post post short but I am totally against mass balloon releases (well to be honest I'm not a fan of all balloons filled with hellium).

I often find balloons washed up on the beach - but so far all the race balloon's I've found the addresses were to faded to be able to write back.

Lets hope this can be changed.

I read once about a safe balloon race in which you write out slips of paper with locations written on them and pop them into balloons. You then blow them up and when someone buys the balloon, it gets burst and the note reads such as "oh dear, your balloon only made it over the garden fence" or "your balloon made it all the way to Blackpool" etc. It doesn't stop there being waste but it's a step in the right direction and highlights the issue.

shanny66 · #5 (**permalink**) 24-10-2009, 08:03 PM

I volunteer at Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve at Kimmeridge in Dorset. We collect and record balloons and write to the originators of any we can identify to let them know about the impact and ask them not to release any more.
We have had some very postive results and responses so it is worth a go. I'm a member of MCS as well and their "Don't Let Go" info packs are great to help you campaign against balloons releases.

metalfish · #6 (**permalink**) 25-10-2009, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shanny66

I volunteer at Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve at Kimmeridge in Dorset. We collect and record balloons and write to the originators of any we can identify to let them know about the impact and ask them not to release any more.
We have had some very postive results and responses so it is worth a go. I'm a member of MCS as well and their "Don't Let Go" info packs are great to help you campaign against balloons releases.

I've got nothing against balloons, but like you say just don't let them go. I work on a Nature Reserve on the coast and regularly pick up deflated helium balloons, the shiny strings attached to them are just as bad- none of it breaks, who knows how many birds or fish try to swallow them or get tangled up in the strings.
Kids love balloons but I'm sure they'd be horrified if they found out their balloon had killed an animal. Just keep them indoors

2dogs2000 · #7 (**permalink**) 25-10-2009, 08:54 PM

Where can I get hold of 'don't let go' information packs? I and a few colleagues are trying to persuade our head to stop this at the school we work at. Every year on sports day we have a balloon race.

Unfortunately it is a great fundraiser.

Fuzzy-felt bloke · #8 (**permalink**) 26-10-2009, 06:35 PM

Hi I’m new here, in fact this is my first post on this forum. On the topic of plastic balloons I would like to draw your attention to a worldwide problem of the Trash Vortex, this lies between Japan and the US (in fact there two), here is a general link to explain the problem in more detail.
Welcome To TrashVortexAwareness.com

It may be worth me mentioning Project Kaisei, who is actively looking at ways to clean up the rubbish in the vortex.
Project Kaisei - Capturing the Plastic Vortex

I know it’s outside Britain, but it will impact on us all at some point. I teach Environmental Conservation and I try to show my students how plastic can be a big problem in every country and the oceans, please discuss this issue with as many people as possible, as most people do not know about the plastics in our ocean.

I hope to contribute more to this forum in the future, so long for now.

Fuzzy-Felt Bloke