Balloons - caution in disposing/releasing

Diane Brandon diane at keysregion.org
Sun Apr 20 09:23:44 PDT 2008 

Hi All,

Sorry to interject this -- balloons are so colorful -- but please do  
be careful where and how you release helium balloons. Here's one  
article, pasted in below, about a mylar balloon almost killing a  
whale.... it just happened to be the first one that came up when I  
google searched
helium balloons bird deaths

A non-profit I worked for in the late 80s used to do a balloon  
release, but stopped at the request of local wildlife folks who told  
us about the sad results when these plastic items connect with  
animals in the wrong way. (The strings can also be a problem -- I  
remember a sad photo of a dead eagle wrapped in fish wire it had  
gotten tangled in.)

Diane
diane.brandon at verizon.net

Helium Balloon Release: a potential death sentence
Recently I read an article about a young whale that had beached  
itself on a sandy shore. Volunteers worked tirelessly to save this  
beautiful, distressed and obviously sick whale. It was taken to a  
nearby aquarium and given appropriate vitamin injections and fed  
special foods with a view to improving its health and reintroducing  
it back into its pod. Initially there appeared to be a slight  
improvement in the whale's health but it was short lived. It  
continued losing weight and swam listlessly around the aquarium's  
pool. The veterinary staff finally decided to scope the whale's  
stomach to see if they could identify anything that might explain the  
whale's failure to thrive. What they found, surprised everyone. They  
pulled out of the whale's stomach a deflated, mylar balloon with  
"Happy Birthday" on it. It had been lodged in the stomach and was  
blocking the passage of food through the whale's digestive system.  
This little whale was slowly starving to death through no fault of  
its own. The story has a happy ending: with the removal of the  
balloon, the whale's health began to improve and he was soon reunited  
with his pod in the ocean.

The release of Helium filled balloons at events such as football  
games, political conventions, rallies, memorial events or just for  
the heck of it, has practically become a way of life. Sometimes  
hundreds of balloons are released at a time at such events. There is  
no doubt as the multi-coloured balloons are let go and drift skyward,  
it is a beautiful sight. It isn't difficult to imagine their view of  
the vanishing ground below and further imagine that we are with them  
flying free up, up and away, perhaps carrying with them a message to  
a loved one in the case of a memorial event.

What is very scary is where these balloons can end up, particularly  
when more and more are sent upwards into the atmosphere. Obviously  
they have to end up somewhere and it is important to consider where  
their end may be. The above whale story is not the first time I have  
heard about released balloons, once deflated, adversely affecting  
unsuspecting birds and mammals. Bits of balloon have been found in  
dead sea birds, turtles and in the stomachs and intestines of many  
different fish.

Please reconsider releasing helium balloons. Please consider the  
birds and animals who cannot speak for themselves and who end up  
experiencing an agonizing death as, deflated balloons or portions of  
them, end up in their stomachs and intestines and they starve to death.

There are so many other ways to celebrate or memorialize without  
harm. Light a beautiful candle, do some volunteer work, make a  
donation in your loved one's name but Please Don't Release Helium  
Balloons. Homing doves or pigeons are a thoughtful and considerate  
alternative. The birds are not harmed and can find their way home  
time and time again. They too, make an impressive memorial display as  
they are released into the air. Helium balloons may carry aloft a  
death sentence for a unsuspecting animal member of our planet and it  
is just not worth the price.

http://www.multiplebirthsfamilies.com/articles/ber_q21.html




On Apr 20, 2008, at 11:59 AM, Gerard Muller wrote:

> Hello All,
>
> The ballooning conversation reminded me of something I've just  
> suggested to a client involving
> only one balloon.
>
> A company has defined a few core values.
>
> Members of the management team each are responsable for one value  
> in the sense that in each month,
> there is a focus on one value.
>
> The MT-member responsable for the value "engaging" asked my help in  
> how to do this.
> You won't be surprised there will be an OS event that month,  
> engaing not only staff but also clients
> and suppliers.
>
> However, they have a canteen, where staff present has their lunch.  
> So I thought of the following,
> and it seems they'll do this.
>
> - at one of the 6 tables, a helium filled balloon will be posted  
> with "The Day's question".
> - whoever feels like discussing the question can join the table;
> - anyone can apply for having his/her question "on the balloon" on  
> a day this month;
> - if there are more questions than days, of course there's a couple  
> of extra balloons available;
> - if there are no more questions, that is the only thing that could  
> happen ............ and when it's over, it's over
> - if there is a question on the first day after the month  
> ends,.......... it's not over.
>
> Guess where I got the inspiration from.
>
> Greetings from Denmark,
>
>
>
>
> Gerard Muller
> Open Space Institute Denmark
> Phone: (+45) 21269621							Skype: openspace1
> Mail: gm at openspace.dk
>
> *
> *
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