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Now That Companies Are Ditching Plastic Straws for Environmental Reasons, Can Balloons Be Far Behind?

Aug 16, 2018  •  Post A Comment

A war on balloons is brewing, according to a new report, which notes that they may follow plastic straws on the endangered products list.

“The joyous celebration of releasing balloons into the air has long bothered environmentalists, who say the pieces that fall back to earth can be deadly to seabirds and turtles that eat them,” The New York Post reports. “So as companies vow to banish plastic straws, there are signs balloons will be among the products to get more scrutiny, even though they’re a very small part of environmental pollution.”

The report notes that college football powerhouse Clemson University, as part of its sustainability efforts, is ending its tradition this year of releasing 10,000 balloons before games.

“In Virginia, a campaign that urges alternatives to balloon releases at weddings is expanding. And a town in Rhode Island outright banned the sale of all balloons earlier this year, citing the harm to marine life,” the story reports.

The report adds: “Following efforts to limit plastic bags, the push by environmentalists against straws has gained traction in recent months, partly because they’re seen as unnecessary for most. Companies including Starbucks and Disney are promising to phase out plastic straws, which can be difficult to recycle because of their size and often end up as trash in the ocean. A handful of U.S. cities recently passed or are considering bans. And the push may bring attention to other items people may not have considered — like festive balloons.”

5 Comments

  1. At some point the emotional hand wringing has to stop.

    The straw ban alone is a joke, something designed to make you “feel good” while accomplishing precisely nothing.

  2. And this has what connection to TV????

  3. I agree Bill. Another attempt by left-wing crazies to control and manipulate our lives. Our God gave us this planet to grow and prosper on. Human life is precious and we need not bow down to silly attempts to subjugate human beings to inferior, uncomprehending species. Unnecessary efforts like this clip the wings of our economy and then families, yours and mine, often get hurt in the process. The needs of people should always come first.

  4. God gave humans the task of being stewards of the earth. It is important that we protect all the creatures God created. That being said, I find many of the efforts are more feel good than producing any real results. As long as India and China, along with many 3rd world countries, are dumping tons of trash in the oceans, whether I use a plastic straw is meaningless. I am against balloon releases, but them I am against littering in any form.

  5. as someone who works in ocean media (Sports, travel, research, etc.), anything and everything has to be done … Period!

    Some of the idiots who think this is liberal BS … or a “Joke” … is himself a selfish jerk … sorry … true … have you been to a pristine beach in the Caribbean or our own Hawaii and see the tons of garbage floating around … its insane … I am a SCUBA diver and have seen some of the weirdest garbage in the oceans …

    And lets not forget that the biggest threat to our ecology … period … is the lowlife in the White House (“Don the Con” and coal evangelist) —

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