Why? New York State Continues Attempts to Ban Balloon Releases

Over the course of the last two or three years you may have heard about the folks in Albany trying to make balloons, and helium balloons illegal. Pause one moment. They are not trying to ban hot air balloons, balloons that are done for weather experiments or  balloons that your kids play with inside your home.

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What are they trying to ban? They are trying to ban balloon releases. You know where everyone gathers and lets a balloon go at the same time? Often these releases are done to celebrate a life, a marriage or an event. Even times they are done as fundraisers for elementary schools.

Did you ever do that? You buy a balloon, and attached to it is a postcard with the address of your school, your name and your teachers name, along with a note that says something to the effect of please return this when you find it, the person who's balloon when the furthest away will get a prize, type thing?

The Bill A5902, was reintroduced back in to the New York State Senate in March, and is currently in committee. Why do people not want balloon releases to take place? It comes down to a few reasons, that are mentioned in the Bill, to include the length of time they take to break down/degrade, the pollution of our environment in general, and the debris being harmful to wildlife, both on land and in the water.

The hope is that with the elimination of these balloon releases, that we will be able to protect further harm.

What do you think? Big deal, it's just a balloon? Or get rid of the things, we never need to see one ever again?