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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Releasing helium balloons?

64 replies

sweetkitty · 22/06/2020 16:46

Our primary school has had a tradition for the past 4/5 years of all the Primary 7s releasing a helium balloon on their last day. This year I had asked if we could not do it due to environmental reasons and showed some photos of injured seabirds and livestock, injured or killed from eating helium balloons plus they don’t degrade. I got totally ignored “my child would be devastated if they don’t get to release a balloon”

It’s 10 seconds and whoosh it’s gone, also it’s costing a fortune as helium has become really hard to source during lockdown so one little balloon is costing £2 just for a child to release into the sky to cause environmental damage.

The parents are organising it out with the school so I can’t complain to the school either. We will not be taking part obviously.

OP posts:
bluebluezoo · 22/06/2020 17:42

Post on the balloons blow website, they’re pretty good at doing a post, then a load of americans who don’t care if they offend people thousands of miles away all pile on the school or persons website Grin

Even so, being told repeatedly how bad balloons are, people still justify it.

WhatATimeToBeAlive · 22/06/2020 17:45

Just tell them that their child will be more devastated when they don't have a sustainable planet to live on due in part to their selfishness.

PenOrPencil · 22/06/2020 17:58

@eatyourcake I admire your optimism!

I gave the school alternative ideas, compared cost, offered to sponsor any suitable alternatives... Nope, they went ahead with the balloons twice (dc 2 years apart). I am still raging now, my youngest is in Year 10!

MrsTolerance · 22/06/2020 18:09

Well done OP! Shocked that other parents aren’t supporting you. They are raising very precious, entitled children if they’d be so devastated by this. I’d email the school to see if they can intervene

lanthanum · 22/06/2020 18:10

Do the school know the parents are planning it? (Presumably the parents are organising it because the school won't?)
Perhaps the school can take the lead and explain to the kids that they need to be the ones to come up with a new tradition. Wouldn't they be proud if they came back in ten years and a new group of P7s were continuing the tradition they started!

redribbons99 · 22/06/2020 18:14

I think that's terrible I think it should be stopped do all schools do this

SewingWarriorQueen76 · 22/06/2020 18:15

Check with your local council. It might already be banned and as a school is a Council property they would be breaking local policies.

backinthebox · 22/06/2020 18:17

Imagine reading in 2050 that we once had a machine that could find cancer in humans, but decided to have balloons instead?

^^ This. And the littering. Anyone who thinks letting a balloon go on purpose need their brain rebooting.

PhilTheGroundhog · 22/06/2020 18:22

I'd never thought about where helium comes from before. How interesting!

Also, it's littering, dangerous and bullshit. I wouldn't take part, either.

sanityisamyth · 22/06/2020 18:28

@DGRossetti

When all the helium is gone, it's gone forever.

If you think MRI scanners are a Good Thing, that alone is reason enough to stop wasting it on balloons.

Mind you, we knew that 30 years ago.

Imagine reading in 2050 that we once had a machine that could find cancer in humans, but decided to have balloons instead ?

100% agree with this. I'd rather be able to have an MRI scan than deliberately pollute the environment with rubber which causes injury and death to lots of animals and wildlife.
AlCalavicci · 22/06/2020 18:38

I am not sure just how much shock value
( not the right term but I can think of a better way of putting it )
you want to go with but could you down load & print photos of injured animals , story's from farmers , wildlife experts ( perhaps the RSPCB ) an show it to the ignorant / uninformed parents .

megletthesecond · 22/06/2020 18:41

Yanbu. I would raise hell over this.

I sent a livid email to a nearby secondary who set off balloons a couple of years ago.

biddybird · 22/06/2020 18:42

helium balloons should be banned full stop

Where do you live? Several councils in the UK have banned them. Hopefully yours is one of them and you can report these idiots' intentions to the Council so they can be deterred/fined.

There is a list of councils with bans in place here:
www.mcsuk.org/campaigns/dont-let-go-councils

megletthesecond · 22/06/2020 18:42

Yes! blue , good idea. The Facebook "balloons blow" group are pretty good at stopping balloon releases.

AuntyFungal · 22/06/2020 18:47

Helium is also used to aid lung inflation / breathing in prem babies.

Another reason to add to your list OP.

majesticallyawkward · 22/06/2020 19:04

Helium balloons and the lanterns are a menace and should be stopped. They cause devastation and 'my kid wants to' isn't a reason to let these things off!

When did it even become a thing? The narrow minded, selfishness of some people is astounding. I would be making more noise about it with the school.

Genderwitched · 22/06/2020 19:23

YANBU OP, it's disgraceful I couldn't do it now, knowing what harm it does. I would have stood with you.

ComeBy · 22/06/2020 20:09

That’s an impressive list of councils that have banned it!

Can they take legal action?

It’s difficult, it became popular at the end of funerals and there were some tricky discussions on here.

The Gvt need to act and stop the sale of helium bottles.

Original poster
sweetkitty · 22/06/2020 20:32

Damn our council is not on there!

I sent the PTA a post at the start of the month with photos of Dead Sea birds/calves to raises awareness and that didn’t work.

They aren’t planning on releasing them in school grounds but outside school, they aren’t happy the whole class cannot he together for graduation but are split up so their plan is to wait outside and meet up and let the balloons off.

Why it’s so bloody stupid and it makes me so angry!

OP posts:
biddybird · 23/06/2020 00:21

In that case, approach your ward councillor to put this forward as a motion at the next council meeting.
It helps to lobby the councillors beforehand too.

Kokeshi123 · 23/06/2020 03:51

Suggest to the school that they attach the name of the school to each balloon that is released. They can then be sent a nice bill to pay if any of the balloons kill farmers' livestock or people's pets. Do they know how much a beef steer can cost? Or a horse?

Mumdiva99 · 23/06/2020 04:05

You have done the best you can. You have said no. You have said why. These ignorant people won't change their mind. For the sake of your child's friendships at secondary school please let this drop with those parents. However, a constructive letter to the school - not with pictures of dead birds....they aren't stupid.... telling them how disappointed you were that parents went ahead and did this and that you wonder if educating pupils on the environmental impact of releasing balloons would help to change this behaviour in future. The reputation of the school is at stake etc etc. - that may be more effective at stopping this in the future.

Yeahnahmum · 23/06/2020 05:30

Contact the counsil

RightIsRight · 23/06/2020 05:54

The helium used in balloons isn’ the same as the helium used in MRI scanners. It’s a different grade. You can’t use the helium in balloons for scanners so that argument is useless

Malbecblooms · 23/06/2020 08:01

This makes me so cross. I can't believe people are so thick as to not realise that those balloons are going to pop and come back down.