to have sent this email to school/PTA?

[QueenOfF1amingEverything]

They want to have a balloon release for the Jubilee with a cash prize for the 'winner'...

"Having just read through the minutes of the PTA meeting, I'm afraid I have an objection to the proposed ballon launch. We are lucky enough to live in an AONB, on the banks of a beautiful and relatively unpolluted river, and near more than one SSSI, and therefore I think it would be particularly irresponsible to release balloons. Balloons do not biodegrade and are extremely dangerous to animals who may ingest them, which will often be fatal.

The environmental impact of releasing balloons needs to be considered as effectively it is no different to throwing litter, and I really disagree with the idea of a £50 cash prize for the person whose litter travels the furthest.
Please see this link for further information - www.ukrivers.net/balloon_fact.html

Thanks, QOFE"

Sandra, your links are written on behalf of balloon companies, or rather "The National Association of Balloon Artists" Do you not think they may be a teeny weeny bit biased?

The info is also over 20 years old FFS.

I'm with you OP. I wonder if you'll get some ridiculous emails from 'Little Johnny and his Mummy who are bitterly disappointed they can't kill some livestock release balloons" now.

Latex balloons
Latex is a natural rubber that is non-toxic and biodegradable - balloon manufacturers gleefully point out that a latex balloon (that makes it to five miles) will shatter and fall to earth in many small pieces, and these will take no longer to decompose than an oak leaf. This may be true, but they omit the part about oak leaves taking up to four years to decompose completely. Metalized balloons are a non-starter when it comes to outdoor release - they won't shatter and they won't biodegrade, so they have no place in the environment.

They're just balloons. Why is everyone going batshit? BALLOONS. Less harmless than most of the stuff under your sinks that you use to clean the bathrooms etc!

Let the kids have one day of fun ffs!

The link in OP is much more recent information, and includes information on dead animals found with balloon remnants inside them.

I would rather my children's play did not involve cruelty to animals.

Can't be bothered to reply anymore. You're obviously all batshit-spoilsports when it comes to balloons and I'm glad I'm not the child of any of you!

OP there is also this link about a balloon release that was cancelled in Apr 12 after a complaint by a parent / the RSPCA HERE

May help if you can show a precedent set.

Sandra, do you sell balloons or just really really like them?

My children birthday parties have balloons, I blew them up then once finished with they go into the bin.

Batshit! hilarious! But seriously Sandra, are balloons really the ultimate entertainment for children? Is it really the case that they'll just have to have another crap and boring day if they don't get to do a balloon race?

Why don't we all help out the OP by giving her ideas to give to the PTA, instead of sitting on our arses criticising her for sitting on her arse criticising the PTA. Am useless at such things personally but what could replace a balloon race? (Notwithstanding the use of livestock and electric fences, that was... batshit!) So the replacement would have to be:

1. Enterable on the day
2. Not skill based
3. Environmentally responsible
4. Cheap per entry
5. As fun as a balloon race (if you can imagine such a thing, Sandra!)

I'm not giving her ideas because I don't agree with her. End of. And it's not about whether balloons are the only fun kids can have or not.

They will be some of the only kids not being allowed to join in because of a spoilsport, and to my mind, talking about a few balloons being harmful for the environment is pretentious when the only effect it will really have is some kids being left out. Why not start by not driving a car? Not using bleach? Having a wind farm in your backyard? Using an electric cooker instead of gas?
Oh right, because that would be expensive compared to the easier alternative.

Seems people are happy to moan about being environmentally friendly without starting at home first, with things that make a bigger difference than a load of fecking balloons, that's what's annoying me. So no, I wont pat the OP on the back for her email.

Outraged, I just really like them

& My reaction and point of view wouldn't change if it was helium-filled hoola-hoops!

so it ok for kids to have fun, while some harmless bird chocks to death.

i want my children to have fun, but for the sake of a living animal kind of turns it around.

I do have harmful stuff under the sink.

I don't let the DCs drip it into the pets feeding bowls "for fun" either.

Then again, some people do like "fun" that includes the death of animals.

Well, I hold my hands up and admit I do have a car (its a necessity where we are due to there only being one bus a week to town but it does run off recycled chip fat) but I don't use bleach, and I do in fact have two windmills in my garden and a composting loo, and solar panels and a £20k super efficient wood boiler, and we don't use any mains water and run the washing machine and indoor loo off rainwater, and we spend a lot of time and energy maintaining our rare meadowland so nyer Its not like I sit on my arse telling other people to be greener than I can be arsed to be, because I have started at home.

But even if I didn't have any of that at home I'd still be entitled to disagree with the balloon release on environmental grounds! We need to be teaching children that our actions can have a detrimental effect even if we can't see it in our own backyard, and I think a balloon release sends the opposite message.

You can get biodegradable baloons because I've seen them on line. Don't know how good they are though.

Sorry. Didn't read the whole thread. Think how good they are has been answered.

QueenofFE - you don't live in the NW do you...?

Back to your OP - ordinarily I'd say YABU but then again, I used to live in London where anything goes and I've never been much of a eco-friendly. However, I'm not there now and I completely agree with you that this would be a terrible idea.

Saying that, I sit on a committee like a PTA and it is tough to come up with different ideas for fundraising but I've have thought something more Jubilee-related might have been better e.g. best designed bunting triangle or something

And on the point about forwarding your email around to everyone, small school or not that is absolutely wrong. They should have said something like "we have had a complaint/comment regarding the balloon race... etc" and completely anonymised your points. I appreciate that you may not want to make a big deal about it/rock the boat but you should tell them that they really mustn'y send people's details/emails to everyone like that in the future.

. Why not start by not driving a car? Not using bleach? Having a wind farm in your backyard? Using an electric cooker instead of gas?

if you look back through the thread, there are links and information that explain that if we use helium for frivolous fun we will not have it for more important things,so none of us would be able to drive a car, we will all have wind farms in our back garden, we won't have gas, as to get to the oil that is left we do have to helium for the SAT divers without which we can't get to the oil or gas,

not to mention all the medical stuff that is totally dependant on helium, which will be a real loss when it's gone,

with fewer than 40 years left on what little helium reserves are left, we need to make a choice as to what we do with it,

choices are,

A. five minutes of fun
B. vital medical procedures and fuel

www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Health/20120323/helium-gas-shortage-mri-120324/

could the school have a kite making and flying competition? last one up wins.
fighterkitecentral.com/sxs/step%20by%20step%20gooddog.pdf

or a duck race in a local small river/large stream, you number lots of plastic ducks, people buy a duck(number) and they are released up stream and caught down stream with a few intrepid volunteers following and helping ducks along, I know several schools that do this as a part of their summer fair, quite popular, and you can sell hundreds of ducks, keep them and reuse each year.

What about old fashioned things like throwing wet sponges at a teacher, knocking down cocunuts etc like kids did in the days when the queen had her coronation, historical, fitting and fun.

Balloons are horrible. Loads of kids are terrified of them. They burst after a few minutes and then leave lethal bits of rubber about to cover little wind pipes.
No child will suffer for the lack of one.
For some children they are a useful play thing. Children with complex needs for eg. So if we only use them for very special occasions (I am biased obviously but a child letting one off for their daddy/sister in heaven ) I doubt there would be a 'batshit' outcry.

Last time I looked there was no mention of them on the united convention on the rights of the child though.

Nope, not in the NW. Opposite end of the country!

My objection is to be discussed at the PTA meeting on Thursday. I found this very informative link which has alternatives sugested so I will print it and take it along

I didn't know burst balloons were so harmful to animals. I'd never thought about it. Thank you for educating me (seriously, not being sarcastic!)

Normal balloons are just filled with air though aren't they? Not helium?

Oh, and YANBU

That was very interesting Queen - I think the part about notifying the Civil Aviation Authority before a balloon release may also be quite off-putting for the school. I see my council is one of those that have banned balloon releases! One thing they have done that is useful !!

Hey QueenofFlaming how did it go?

I have to say I am in awe of your green credentials! Are your windturbines vertical or blade ones? Are they any good? (thread derail sorry)