Andrew Lewin discusses the recent ban on intentional balloon releases in Florida. While highlighting the positive step for environmental protection, he also delves into the nuances of the ban. Despite a brief episode due to holiday celebrations, Andrew emphasizes the importance of speaking up for the ocean and taking action for a better marine ecosystem.
Link to article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2024/06/25/balloon-release-ban-florida-desantis/74202568007/
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Florida's recent passing of a bill to ban the intentional release of balloons marks a significant step towards protecting the environment, particularly ocean wildlife. The bill, known as House Bill 321, aims to prevent the harmful impact of released balloons on marine life. Balloons, when released, often end up in the ocean, where they pose a serious threat to marine animals like sea turtles and birds.
The ban on intentional balloon releases in Florida is part of a larger movement seen in several states across the US, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Virginia. These states have either passed or proposed legislation to limit or ban balloon releases outdoors. The detrimental effects of balloons on wildlife have prompted these proactive measures to safeguard the environment.
The bill in Florida classifies the intentional release of balloons inflated with gas lighter than air as littering. This classification emphasizes the environmental impact of releasing balloons, especially those filled with helium. Oceana, a nonprofit conservation organization, has supported the bill, highlighting its importance in protecting Florida's coastlines and ocean wildlife from preventable harm.
The legislation also introduces penalties for those who intentionally release balloons, with fines ranging from $150 to $1,000, depending on the weight of the balloons. While there are exemptions for biodegradable balloons made of natural latex, the bill removes previous exemptions for balloons deemed biodegradable or photodegradable by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The bill's emphasis on promoting greener alternatives to balloon releases, such as bubbles, kites, planting trees, or creating memorial gardens, underscores the importance of responsible environmental practices. By encouraging eco-friendly celebrations, the legislation aims to raise awareness about the impact of balloon releases on wildlife and ecosystems.
Overall, Florida's ban on intentional balloon releases reflects a growing awareness of the need to protect the environment and marine life from plastic pollution. The legislation serves as a crucial step towards fostering a more sustainable and environmentally conscious approach to celebrations and events, ultimately contributing to the preservation of ocean ecosystems and wildlife.
The new law in Florida regarding the intentional release of balloons is a significant step towards protecting the environment, particularly ocean wildlife. The law classifies the intentional release of balloons inflated with gas lighter than air as littering. This means that releasing balloons filled with helium or other lighter-than-air gases is now considered a violation, subject to fines. The fines for violating this law can range from $150 for regular balloons to up to $1,000 for balloons over 15 pounds.
This legislation is a crucial move to prevent the harmful impact of balloons on wildlife, especially marine animals. When balloons are released into the environment, they can end up in bodies of water, where marine animals mistake them for food. Ingesting balloons can lead to serious health issues and even death for these animals. By imposing fines for releasing balloons filled with lighter-than-air gases, Florida aims to reduce the littering of balloons and protect ocean wildlife from preventable harm.
The law also highlights the importance of promoting eco-friendly alternatives to balloon releases. Floridians are encouraged to opt for greener choices such as bubbles, kites, planting trees, or creating memorial gardens instead of releasing balloons. These alternatives not only provide a more environmentally friendly way to celebrate but also help in preserving the natural habitats of wildlife.
Overall, the new law in Florida signifies a positive step towards environmental conservation and wildlife protection. By addressing the issue of balloon littering and imposing fines for violations, the state is taking proactive measures to safeguard its coastlines and ocean wildlife. This legislation serves as a reminder of the importance of responsible behavior and the need to prioritize the well-being of the environment and its inhabitants.
Alternatives to Balloon Releases
In the podcast episode, it was highlighted that balloon releases can have detrimental effects on the environment, particularly on wildlife. To combat this issue, the state of Florida has implemented a ban on intentional balloon releases. However, the episode also emphasized the importance of providing alternative, more environmentally friendly options for celebrations and events.
One of the key points discussed was the encouragement of using alternatives to balloon releases. Some of the suggested alternatives included bubbles, kites, planting trees, and creating memorial gardens. These alternatives not only provide a similar celebratory effect but also have minimal to no negative impact on the environment.
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Bubbles: Bubbles are a fun and whimsical alternative to balloons. They are non-toxic, biodegradable, and do not pose a threat to wildlife if accidentally released into the environment. Children and adults alike can enjoy the beauty of bubbles without harming the ecosystem.
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Kites: Flying kites can be a thrilling and visually appealing activity for celebrations. Kites are reusable, durable, and do not contribute to pollution. They offer a sustainable way to enjoy the outdoors and create memorable moments without endangering wildlife.
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Planting Trees: Planting trees as a celebratory gesture or in memory of a loved one is a meaningful and eco-friendly alternative to balloon releases. Trees provide numerous environmental benefits, such as oxygen production, carbon sequestration, and habitat for wildlife. This option promotes sustainability and contributes positively to the ecosystem.
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Creating Memorial Gardens: Establishing memorial gardens can serve as a lasting tribute while also benefiting the environment. These gardens can be dedicated to honoring individuals or events and can include native plants, flowers, and shrubs. Memorial gardens promote biodiversity, attract pollinators, and enhance the beauty of outdoor spaces without generating harmful waste.
By promoting these alternatives, individuals and communities can shift towards more sustainable and environmentally conscious practices during celebrations and events. Choosing bubbles, kites, tree planting, or memorial gardens over balloon releases not only reduces plastic pollution but also fosters a deeper connection to nature and promotes conservation efforts.
Normally, when I refer to Florida and the environment, it's usually not great, especially since the governor has taken everything regarding climate change out of their policies. But today we have some sort of good news in that Florida has been one of the states that have been added to the list to ban the release of balloons at parties or any types of celebrations or just release the balloons in any kind of way. But there are some stipulations with that, which we're going to talk about on today's episode of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast, let's start the show. Hey, everybody. Welcome back to another exciting episode of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast. I'm your host, Andrew Lewin. This is the podcast where you find out what's happening with the ocean, how you can speak up for the ocean, what you can do to live for a better ocean by taking action. Now, today's episode, we're going to be talking about balloon releases and how in Florida, they've actually decided to ban the intentional release of balloons. It comes with some caveats, which we're going to talk about today, but it's going to be, I'm just going to let you know, this is going to be a bit of a quick episode. I'm doing a little batch recording because it's candidate this weekend. It's the candidate weekend. It's the first official long weekend of the summer, and every year I go up with my family to cottage of good friends of the families, and we just go and relax, and we enjoy sort of the end of the school year for my kids, and sort of a new beginning of the summer. And the dogs go up, they have a great time by the lake, and we get to get our blue mind on. Shout out to Dr. Wallace J. Nichols. May he rest in water. 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I'll keep you updated, but let's get back into the episode. This is a really interesting call for Florida. Florida has a health bill called Health Bill 32321 is dubbed the release of Balloons Bill, and it seeks to ban any intentional releases of balloons in the state. So that means if you're on a birthday celebration or you're doing a gender reveal, and you have these balloons, you pop them, or you just release them to celebrate something, or the launch of something, whatever that might be, some people do it during their wedding, whatever that might be. What happens is those balloons go up in the air and they fall over, they eventually come down. They get popped by the atmosphere or whatever that's made up there, maybe a bird or something like that. They land eventually somewhere in the environment, whether it be on a sidewalk, whether it be in the middle of a road, whether it be in the Everglades in Florida, or whether it be in the ocean. It could be anywhere. You don't know where it's going to land or how it's going to land. What's happened is we found that these balloons are getting into the stomachs of animals because they fall in an area where there are animals, which if you think about birds is pretty much anywhere, they ingest them in their stomach. So we find these animals dead, we find pieces of balloon that have gone into their system. So that obviously is not something that we want, it's not something good, and we need to ensure that this doesn't happen. So some of these states in the US and other places around the world, although I'm not sure who, but this is one focused, this article is focused on the ones in the US, have already banned it. So I'm going to read off the list. So California Bandit, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Virginia are also on the list of a member of states that have passed or put forward legislation to ban or limit. Balloon release is outdoors. They're probably wondering, Andrew, how do you limit that release? Everybody, this is something that I struggle with too. When my kids were young, we would have balloons because kids love balloons. I love balloons when I was a kid. All kids love balloons of some sort. They may not love the popping right away, but they love the colors. They love how big it is. You play keepups with the balloons. It's a lot of fun. But let's be honest here, it's not good for the environment. They don't break down. They are plastic. They are some sort of rubbery plastic that doesn't break down in the environment. They can get into the stomachs and digestive systems of animals causing wreaking havoc in their system and wreaking havoc on populations. And so, look, this is a great way forward for Florida in some sort of manner for the environment. So, Florida's current law allows for nine or fewer balloons to be released within a 24-hour period by, I guess, one person, I guess, which is really weird. Diving into this really made me think about what pieces of legislation go through. However, this latest bill classifies the intentional release of all balloons inflated with a gas lighter than air as littering. So, you can fill it with air and let it go and it is not considered littering, but if it's a gas like helium or anything like that, then it's considered littering. Now, Oceana Nonprofit Conservation Organization lobbied for the bill and stayed at the legislation's passage as a great day for Florida's coastlines and ocean wildlife. It's a great day in that respect. I see, you know, highlighting the great part of this bill and banning this. But Florida's new law will help save ocean animals from these preventable deaths. While releasing balloons is sometimes used for celebrations, Floridians can opt for greener choices like bubbles, kites, planting trees, or making memorial gardens. So, there are alternatives, right? So, I think that's what really good. So, what this bill does, how does it really regulate? What is the punishment? It revises the penalties for intentionally releasing balloons by specifying that a person commits littering if they are intentionally released, organized the release of, or intentionally caused to be released balloons inflated with a gas that is lighter than air. So, the gas has to be lighter than air. So, that means it'll actually float. Sorry. So, it's not just by air. It's by gas lighter than air. Whether research or hot air balloons that are recovered after flight would still be allowed. And so, this will take effect July 1, Canada Day, which is great. Canada Day is a nice little birthday present for Canada, but also it's only in Florida. A lot of Canadians in Florida, though. Are there exemptions for biodegradable balloons? So, that is also made of natural latex, according to EcoFreak. And however, the bill will remove the previous exemption for balloons that have been determined by the FWC rules to be biodegradable or photodegradable. So, there are some different caveats within that. So, the legal consequences is that, get this, you could be subject up to $150 fine. Of that amount, $50 would go to the Florida public of environmental protections, solid waste management trust fund. For balloons over 15 pounds, fines can reach up to $1,000. These penalties will not apply to children under six, according to the bill. So, essentially, if it's a birthday party and the children release it, they're allowed. If parents release it, they're not allowed. And that is really what's the gist of it. It's one of those laws where you're like, "Great, this is happening. It does affect the environment. It's more plastic in the environment, so we're trying to prevent plastic from getting in the environment. This is one way of doing it." However, when was the last time the majority of people who release balloons are adults? A lot of the times, you'll see a child, usually under six, with a string that's attached to a balloon. And they're wandering around, and sometimes it's attached to the wrist, because some parents are like, "Hey, let's not make sure that this balloon doesn't go in the air." But eventually, what's going to happen is going to get into the air. You see the faces of your child or the child that was holding the balloon just sort of go into shock. And then, usually, it's some sort of crying and emotion. And so, that is something where you're like, "Oh, that's too bad. That's something that we don't want to see. That's something that could be preventable if we didn't release balloons anyway." But it's something that happens quite often. But unfortunately, it's more with little kids. So, obviously, you're not going to prosecute a little kid, but you can prosecute the parents, right? You can find the parents. They're the ones who have control over the child. And although, a lot of times, it's accident, you have to tell the child that, "Hey, you know, like parent. Like, you have to tell the child. We don't want this to go into the environment." Because remember those sea turtles that you like so much? Well, they can eat those. If they land, then they can choke on it and they can die. We don't want that to happen. We don't want to hurt the sea turtles, right? Children will be like, "Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Let's do that." Like, I think what happens is people just don't think about it often enough. And one way to do that, if you're in Florida and you don't really know the effects of balloons or you want to find out who it harms or what it does, go to the Loggerhead Marine Life Sea Turtle Center. The Sea Turtle Loggerhead Marine Life Center, I think it's called. That's in Jupiter, Florida. Free. It's a great place to learn about sea turtles. And you can ask about the effect of balloons and what they think about this new policy and this new law and the finds that do it. I don't think it's enough. I think it needs to be a little bit more. But obviously it is a balloon release and people do it by accident. If they do it on purpose, yes, absolutely find the heck out of them. I would love to see these balloons not go in the air. But unfortunately they do. And it's just something that's culturally in North America. That's a cultural thing where it's like, "Yes. We have balloons and we will do balloons." I had trouble trying to get it out of my own household. Because it's like, "Hey, these are our kids. The kids should have time with balloons." And it's a difficult sell to do that because you don't want to disappoint your kids, but also you don't want to ruin the environment. So I'm glad that there's a law in there. I'm surprised it's in Florida, to be honest, especially with the way it treats its environment, its water quality, climate change, hurricanes, all that kind of stuff. But I'm glad that it's there. And that's really the gist of it. I'm glad that it's there. I'm glad that they're not the only state that's doing this. There's multiple states. I'll read them again. California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, and now Florida is added to that list. So that's it. That's a quick version of the news today. I'd love to hear what you think. Do you think it's just like, is this a policy that's really necessary? Is this a policy that the governor is just doing to try to appease environmentalists? Or is it something that you think it was really needed to do? I'd love to hear what you think of just sort of the overall, not just the political landscape in Florida, because obviously there's a lot going on in Florida from a political standpoint that one I don't agree with, but people from the audience, I don't judge on how you do it. But once it comes to when it comes to environment, I'm just like, I'm judging how this government is really reacting in Florida. But they do this. Is this their way of trying to turn the tide or trying to appease some environmentalists? And is it enough? I'm your host, Angela, and have a great day. We'll talk to you next time, and happy conservation.
