AIBU to object to balloon and lantern memorial releases for environmental reasons ?

[Ihsk]

I do wish people would stop releasing balloons in tribute to lost loved ones.

Balloons don’t up to heaven. They travel a few miles and usually land in a farmer’s field. Where animals eat the balloon and get very ill or die.

This method is a cruel and other creatures can die.

Also still can get Chinese lanterns online. Anyone setting these off now are idiots. Forest fires

We need good alternatives, there aren’t.

YANBU. Releasing balloons is a moronic thing to do, get a bubble machine instead.

So there are literally no other ways of paying tribute to a lost loved one that don't involve litter and endangering wildlife and farm animals? Jesus wept.

I'm amazed anyone is still doing this. The risks to wildlife and farm animals have been highlighted for years.

We really don’t. You don’t need to “do” anything. Light a candle, blow a bubble, sprinkle flower petals, plant a tree, if you must.

They should be banned, it’s a disgusting thing to do, so ignorant and selfish.
Why “remember your loved one” by killing or harming animals and setting fire to nature? It’s insane.
Everyone needs to be educated on the realities of doing these releases.
Maybe try blowing bubbles or scattering petals or feathers to the wind or something if you must.

I understand why people do it but I and many other people have mourned loved ones without inflicting damage on the environment and farm animals.

Butterfly releases might be better

Planting a memorial tree?

Celebrations used by chavs, without any respect for wildlife or the countryside.

YANBU releasing a load of balloons is moronic.

Add to that setting fireworks off in summer in rememberance- thus setting the moorland on fire. The moors locally are ablaze currently for this very reason.

I don’t care that you object. In fact it makes me want to do more of them.

We do a balloon release on every special occasion throughout the year (birthdays, the day they died, Christmas, Halloween, summer festival etc) so our family member is always with us.

I certainly won’t be stopping.

When my FIL passed, we walked around the village he was born in and planted 'been bombs' (wild flowers) and paid for a memorial bench at his local cricket club.

Why? Thousands and thousands of people die every single day. We do not need to do these sorts of things. Death is sadly a fact a life. Humans culturally have funerals to say goodbye. No one needs to send balloons into the sky as well. It does absolutely nothing. Even if you are religious and believe in heaven what in any of the holy books says balloons will float into heaven?

And why isn’t planting a tree or a bush considered a good alternative? Why does it need to be something that floats high into the sky? Dead people are not actually in the sky. As I said surely even religious people don’t actually believe balloons will make it to heaven?

no alternative to balloons and lanterns?

engahe brain - here’s a few idea

plant a tree

Hold a party

release the persons ashes not a ballon that have nothing to do with them

Light a candle at home every Christmas for them

go on their favourite walk, dance to their favourite song, go to their favorite restaurant , dress in their favorite colour

go through your photos and print off a collage to hang on your wall

share photos with everyone

I once got barrage of abuse from suggest releasing balloons on a beach was a bad idea from the point of view of the sea birds.

I don't feel embarrassed about much I have done in my life, but I used to love these lanterns and remember setting off a lot of them at parties in the early 2000s. I cringe now at the thought of it. I try and do regular litter picks around where I now live, I suppose to try and atone in some way, but I really wish I hadn't done it. I hate roadside shrines as well.

To my mind there needs to be a lot less hand-wringing about the reasons people do it and more education about why they should not be doing it. It needs to become socially unacceptable in the same manner as other forms of littering.

Your family member isn’t with you though. What do you think actually happens, the balloon floats up to the sky and then what??

Every year we get a thread like this. I’m of the opinion those who disagree won’t change their mind so a bit of a moot point really. It’s not like MPs listen to a word we say so no one will do anything about it.

There was a balloon in field I was walking across last night with sheep in. It was sort that had confetti in so there was confetti all over the grass and the balloon remnants. I was surprised as I didn’t think people did that anymore.

No offence but how does that make your family member "with you"?
Do you seriously not understand the danger of balloons and wildlife?

They are with us, because they are with us in our thoughts and our memories.

I don’t think anything “actually happens”, it’s just a nice release to remember them by.

We each have two balloons to release and there is usually 10-20 of us on each occasion.

They are with us in our thoughts and memories.

That is my priority. I do not care about “the environment”.