Sermon Illustrations
BALLOON SAFETY
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Environmental Fact or Fiction?
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Balloon Releases
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Erroneous reports about balloons and balloon releases harming the environment have appeared in
major newspapers and on national TV news programs. Many of these reports contain inaccurate claims made by well-intentioned people who care deeply about the earth's ecology — but lack the facts.
Balloons used in special event releases constitute only a small fraction of the industry's sales.
Unfortunately, these spurious claims have caused a chilling effect at the local level and unnecessary financial strain on many of America's small, independent balloon retailers who depend on special events as a major source of their livelihoods. Small industries such as delivery and decorating services also suffer.
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Most consumers don't have the time or inclination to sort through bad information disguised as fact — often resulting in a negative perception that balloons are bad. Latex balloons are sometimes confused with plastic items and lumped in with the plastics litter problem. The oft-used phrase, "latex balloons and other plastics" is improper. Latex is not a plastic. It's organic, made from the sap of rubber trees collected through an absolutely harmless tapping process very simple to that used for collecting the maple sap used for making syrup.
Moreover, latex balloons are totally biodegradable — the only type of balloon used in a professionally-produced mass release. A latex balloon's molecular structure begins breaking down with inflation and gathers momentum when exposed to sunlight and the atmosphere. Within three hours, most latex balloons released into the atmosphere rise to approximately five miles, begin to oxidize, freeze and shatter into spaghetti like pieces. Once on the ground gases and microorganisms attack the latex, continuing the natural decomposition process — even in the dark.
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Scientific research, most notably by D.K. Burchette in "A Study of the Effect of Balloon Releases on the Environment," demonstrates that latex balloons decompose at a rate equal to — or faster than — an oak leaf under similar conditions. Mylar balloons are foil-like, usually silver and cost significantly more (retailing for $3 - $8 each) than latex balloons. Mylar is a synthetic, metallized plastic/nylon material which is recyclable, but not biodegradable. Consequently, mylar balloons are never used in a release. Helium-filled mylar balloons do get away accidentally because a string breaks or a consumer lets go. These incidents seem to be diminishing as a result of ongoing instore awareness campaigns to encourage anchoring these balloons with decorative weights.
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Industry Release Standards
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The American balloon industry has set firm standards for mass balloon releases.
1. Releases must use only 100 percent latex balloons
2. All attachments must be biodegradable
3. All balloons must be self-tied
4. Balloons cannot be attached to each other
Minuscule Litter Threat
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The balloon industry operates with a vigilant eye on the environment. With concerns for the environment continuing to grow, the ongoing question that must be addressed by the balloon industry is: "Are balloons really a significant litter problem and ecological hazard?" The answer, according to the facts produced by independent organizations, is a resounding, "no." Manufacturers try to ensure both the organic materials harvested and the production processes are environmentally sound. Retailers — mostly family-owned and operated small businesses — try to ensure their products are handled properly. The industry's efforts are paying off.
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Take a walkthrough your neighborhood, a local parkor the woods. Most likely you'll see a lot of litter — discarded cans, bottles, paper and plastic items. Odds are, you'll rarely discover a latex balloon in this mess. And if you do, most likely it didn't get there as a result of a mass release.
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According to the Burchette report cited earlier, the vast majority of released balloons don't even return to earth as balloons. Burchette's study shows that the effects of altitude pressure and freezing causes "brittle fracture"— breaking into spaghetti-like pieces that scatter as they return to earth.
Burchette also studied the rate at which balloons fail to rise to this altitude due to leaks or underinflation. He found that in a average release of 500 balloons, the density of balloons landing intact would be no greater than one per 15 square miles.
A Disintegrating Issue
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The balloon industry operates with an eye on the environment. Manufacturers try to ensure both the organic materials harvested and the production processes are environmentally sound. Retailers — mostly family-owned and operated small businesses — try to ensure their products are handled properly by informed consumers. The industry's efforts are paying off.
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According to the annual International Coastal Cleanup report prepared by the Center for Marine Conservation, balloon litter on the nation's riverbanks and beaches has been steadily declining since 1993. However, in spite of this consistent downward trend, there have been ongoing claims and assertions that balloons, especially those used in releases, are a major source of litter in these areas.
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Is balloon litter really a significant ecological issue? Let's examine the facts.
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Balloon Construction
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Two distinctly different types of balloons are manufactured and sold in America today — latex and mylar.
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Latex balloons are produced from the sap of the rubber tree. It is collected without harming the tree by using an environmentally safe, age-old process similar to that used for collecting the sap from maple trees for syrup. Because of rubber's versatility and demand, these tropical rain forest trees are very valuable, highly coveted — and well-protected natural resources. These precious trees play an equally valuable ecological role in the earth's fragile ecological balance by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which helps prevent global warming.
A latex balloon is made from 100 percent organic material and it's 100 percent biodegradable. Stress caused by inflation starts this decomposition cycle. Exposure to sunlight accelerates the process — oxygen and ozone continue the molecular attack even in the dark. Deterioration is clearly evident within a few hours — it begins to oxidize or "frost"— and soon the balloon will break apart. Research has shown that under similar conditions latex decomposes as quickly as an oak leaf.
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The second type of balloon sold in the United States is commonly — but incorrectly — called mylar. It's made from a metallized nylon (plastic) that is not biodegradable. Better known as silver balloons, they are much more expensive than their latex cousins and are never used in balloon releases.
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Balloon Releases - Unjustified Concern
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Mass balloon releases come under fire from misinformed critics who inaccurately claim releases generate a major source of litter and threaten the ecology. While anecdotal, subjective "evidence" is usually cited to support these assertions, corroborating factual data is rarely presented.
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Important facts you should know about latex balloon releases:
1. Only latex balloons are used by professionals in mass releases. Industry guidelines require these balloons to be self-tied and have no attached strings or ribbons — each released balloon is 100 percent biodegradable.
2. Rarely do released balloons return to the earth's surface intact. Studies show these balloons
usually rise to an altitude of about five miles. At that point, freezing and air pressure causes
"brittle fracture" creating spaghetti-like pieces that scatter to the four winds.
3. While some balloons don't reach this altitude, research indicates that in an average 500-balloon release, the unexploded balloon return density is no greater than one per 15 square miles.
4. Research shows that regardless of the latex balloon's ultimate form when it lands, it will
decompose, forming a natural soil nutrient at the same rate as that of an oak leaf.
How fast do oakleaves decompose? two years
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Oak leaves usually take two years to decompose, but once chopped and helped along with the right compost ingredients, the time can be cut down by a considerable amount (See #2 above - which means organic-material balloons would also decompose faster.)
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-THE BALLOON COUNCIL