Balloons blow... Don't let them go!

Anyone who cares about the environment is probably aware of how harmful balloons can be for the ecosystem and the animals that inhabit it. From sea turtles choking to death on them after mistaking them for a tasty jellyfish, or a bird getting entangled in one after thinking it would be a good addition to their nest, animals are dying every day because of the ignorance of people that release these killers into the air. As a young child, my biggest fear was ever letting go of a balloon after my mom told me they may fly high into the atmosphere when you let it go, but what goes up must always come down and that my released balloon would kill a bird. I made sure to triple tie the balloon onto my wrist, and if I ever lost it I cried not for my own loss, but because I was afraid that what I did would kill an animal. Not to make kids upset for no reason... but they should be educated on the negative affects of pollution, and that releasing a balloon falls into this category.

Dead bird found tangled in balloon ribbon
(Photo taken from Balloons Blow)

Owl found hanging from a balloon stuck in a tree
(Photo taken from Balloons Blow)

Elk with a balloon stuck on its antler
(Photo taken from Balloons Blow)

Balloons Blow, one of my favorite organizations, is comprised of 2 girls living in Florida that spend their free time cleaning the beaches of trash and debris that harm wildlife. They educate the public about the harms of garbage on the environment and wildlife. You can also check them out and like their Facebook page. If you want an awesome sticker for your car that says "Balloons Blow" you can message them and they will mail you one! (I of course, already have a few).

The girls that started the organization "Balloons Blow" dedicate their time to collecting
trash off the beach and educating others about the harms of this trash on wildlife.

A popular activity for those that mourn a love one is to release balloons into the environment. I understand how important it is to honor those we miss and love but there are plenty of eco-friendly alternatives that promote "life" instead of death, along with lasting much longer. Why not plant a garden in memory of someone you miss or a tree or plant? A good family activity to do with children instead of mass balloon releases is to paint flower pots and then plant a beautiful plant in it. Bubbles are another nice alternative for celebrating and are less harmful than balloons. Massive balloon releases are the scariest.. where thousands or hundreds of thousands of balloons are released into the atmosphere at once, guaranteed to do harm and kill something wherever they happen to land.

Anhinga eating a balloon
(Photo taken from Balloons Blow)

This seal was found tangled in balloon ribbons
(Photo taken from Balloons Blow)

Dolphin swimming next to a balloon
(Photo taken from Balloons Blow)

Our ocean covers over 2/3 of our planet, and a giant garbage filled mass the size of Texas floats along in the Pacific ocean choking and killing marine life. Balloons only add to this garbage mass, and their ability to fly and float long distances just adds to the diversity of locations they can land in and pollute. In the ocean, their top prey is sea turtles, which mistake them for jellyfish (plastic bags are another big killer of sea turtles for this reason too!). On land, they kill animals varying from birds, to mammals to just about anything that may mistake a balloon or remnants of a balloon for a resource they can use.

Young sea turtle entangled in a mass of balloons
(Photo taken from Balloons Blow)

Balloon remnants surgically removed from the stomach of a sea turtle
(Photo taken from Balloons Blow)

Plastic and mylar do not decompose well and are not biodegradable so they will last for many human generations laying or floating around the earth if they aren't taken by an animal sooner than that. A person who releases a balloon's grandchildren will be adults when the balloon is still in the same state it was when it was released. Plastic should NOT be released into the environment and allowed to pollute our earth.

Bird going after a balloon that is floating in the ocean
(Photo taken from Balloons Blow)

Dead bird entangled in balloons
(Photo taken from Balloons Blow)

Depleting Helium is another reason balloons in general are not a good idea. The world has a lasting supply of helium that is overused and running out. It can be gone within a generation if we don't save it for the more important uses like life saving medical procedures.

If these aren't enough reasons to avoid using balloons, or making sure they are disposed of properly than I don't know what is. I do hope you will refuse to ever let a balloon go into the air and tell everyone you know to do the same. Pass on the word, because some people are just unaware of the harm they can cause!

Juvenile Osprey playing with a balloon that it's parent brought back to the nest
(Photo taken from ConserveWildlifeNJ)

There are plenty of ways you can help the environment and help save wildlife from balloons. My mom inspired me with her DIY use for old balloons.. where she reused deflated mylar balloons as pretty metallic wrapping paper for gifts. There are other thrifty ways to recycle and reuse old balloons too. You can also spend time on a nice day walking outside and collecting old balloons you find. When I worked for NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife, my boss was a little hesitant of my reliability of finding the endangered shorebirds we were searching for when he knew a lot of my time on the beaches was really picking up trash (Sorry Todd!). I have found as many as 50 balloons within a small stretch of beach both washed up and up in the dunes. If you don't live near the beach, it's likely you can find them stuck in trees or bushes, or caught in other types of habitats as well just waiting to harm an animal who doesn't know better. You can help, and you can make a difference. Even just throwing out one balloon you find makes a world of difference to the animal that may have tried to eat it.

Remember.. balloons blow, do not let them go!!!