Day Five - Balloon Afternoon

We slipped today. Minor, not major, but still. Didn't even think about it. We took the kids to one of those indoor mazes on our way somewhere, and they didn't have socks (which they needed in order to be admitted into the maze), so without thinking, we bought them some. We sure didn't need 'em. Lord knows we've got socks coming out of our ears around here.

I guess we "needed" them in the context of the moment. Or maybe that's just a sad rationalization. But we definitely didn't "need" the helium balloon my husband bought a few minutes later. (We haven't figured out penalties for our screw-ups yet. We have to talk about that.)

So, I decided to do a little research on helium balloons' effect on the environment. Here are the surprising things I found out.

On a site hosted by the "Surfing Scientist,"--the guy hails from Sydney, Australia--the caution is more about the strings and ribbons on balloons that are released into the atmosphere. When the balloons pop, these attachements fall to the ground and become litter. But he says that in organized mass releases, it's common practice to use 100% biodegradable latex, which degrades at about the same rate as an oak leaf.

Also, he says, the theory is that balloons reach such atmospheric heights, that when they do explode in the sky, they break into such small pieces that they would not be a threat to wildlife.

A company called Balloons Galore says that helium poses no danger because it's a natural part of the environment.

However, New York State has an actual law (A01373), which limits the amount of balloons which can be released at one time to 25, on the supposition that balloon "pose a danger...particulary to wildlife and marine animals."

Most sites I checked, though, seemed to agree that latex helium balloons, which are made from natural subtances, are pretty harmless to the environment.

This is great news for my five-year-old, as she lives for a good balloon. However, she'll have to wait at least 95 more days for another one.

Day Five Tip: Go for the latex when decorating with balloons, and remove strings and ribbons if you're releasing them.