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

your family member loves to see animals hurt on their behalf ? Strange person to want to commemorate

Alternatives for what.Its just a dangerous fad, nothing necessary about it.

Release white doves if you have to.

Or, alternatively, hold a suitable funeral or memorial and say your goodbyes in a quiet, dignified way.

In the grand scheme of things it’s probably one of the least impactful things for which cause environmental harm. There are a whole load of other things I would get bothered about before this, including people driving for very short distances when they could walk, particularly around school playgrounds, people idling their car, people who throw things out of their car window etc

I completely agree.

But why do you do that when you know the damage it causes? Is adding more litter to the countryside really a fitting way to remember a deceased loved one?
Tell me why you believe it is OK.

Sorry but that is terrible thinking.
I am sorry for your loss of a family member but potentially killing wild animals, farm animals and crops will have an effect on everyone.
I assume you like to eat?

Yes, releasing this hippopotamus into a crowded shopping centre is unpopular with some people but what's the good alternative I ask?

But animals don't choke to death or suffocate from those things.....

No-one with half a brain cell would still do this.

It should be a criminal offence.

Given some of the other posts from the person who says they love doing this, I can only assume they're a rage bait poster

Go to the pub.

Have an afternoon tea.

Plant flowers or trees. Flower seeds cost pennies per pack.

Have a litter pick.

Go for a sea swim.

Pay to have a name engraved on an RNLI lifeboat.

Have church service.

Have a memorial service without any religious aspect at all.

Many such options, all different financial costs.

Surely they can be with you without a cheap piece of plastic being involved .You could for a walk, read a poem etc

It's a terrible thing to do, so harmful to the environment and wildlife. Loads of alternatives which would be a positive, not a negative: plant a tree/bush, buy a bench with a memorial plaque, release bubbles, sprinkle natural confetti, light candles, sponsor a sporting trophy at a local club, set up a scholarship/prize at an education institution, sponsor an animal, encourage people to become donors, donate to worthy causes in their name, have them name written on a RNLI memory lifeboat, pay for a personalised mural/garden in your community etc etc. Basically just use your imagination to do something positive!

Why do we need alternatives? Why do you want to launch rubbish into the environment?

How does this help your family member be with you?

this makes me so uncomfortable. I can’t see how people can bang on about bereaved people releasing balloons without recognising they sound like massive cunts.

Your family member is no more with you than they would be if you threw a pebble in a river

I think many people are on board with this messaging now- certainly the tide has turned somewhat on MN and on FB in the past few years from what I’ve observed. A lot more people have realised how damaging it is and are speaking about it. Many people just genuinely haven’t given it any thought before and are willing to change their behaviour when given new information. I mean it’s baffling that people don’t think things through. It is second nature to me whenever I buy or use something to always think about environmental impact and potential waste. I think it’s normal to think like that if you care about nature and the planet, but I have to accept that some people don’t ‘watch the film through to the end’ like I do. 😂

Some people, like @BeSunnyLemonSheep, don’t really want to be part of a well-functioning society because they can’t be arsed to make small changes for the benefit of the greater good. They can’t look beyond themselves. We can’t change people like that, only hope that their children will do better.

Entitled, much....
So your way of remembering the person that died is to potentially cause injury and lingering deaths to animals who have no say in the matter?
Educate yourself.

No one needs to send balloons into the sky as well.

They don't even all go up into the sky. There was a balloon release on the news once, related to a fund raising event or something. The wind took all the balloons into the trees at the end of the field, where no doubt they still are.

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

Then why do you need a balloon release to remember them by?

I think a bench in a place they liked to visit is a nice memorial. Something permanent that benefits other people.

What about the risk of a grass fire? It’s very dry in the UK so the risk of starting a fire is huge! Not to mention the risk to animals. Go to the pub and have a toast to the deceased

It makes total sense to want to do something visible and symbolic, it just doesn’t make any sense at all to do something that harms other people, their property and of course wildlife.

I don’t know if releasing native species of birds or butterflies is environmentally sound but it could be a better option.

Chavs gotta chav.

The people attempting to defend balloon releases do sound like massive cunts, I agree.