MENU
SECTIONS
OTHER
CLASSIFIEDS
CONTACT US / FAQ
Advertisement
A balloon release planned by the city for Saturday was canceled after officials were reminded the practice is not environmentally friendly and against city law.
2
MORE

City’s plan to release balloons blown away

ASSOCIATED PRESS

City’s plan to release balloons blown away

Eco-unfriendly practice against law

Sorry to burst your bubble — or balloon — children of Toledo.

The city of Toledo planned a balloon release Saturday, sending as many as 250 latex balloons skyward, but canceled it after officials were reminded the practice is not environmentally friendly — and also against city law.

The Hicks-Hudson administration announced via email to the media Thursday plans for two free “family-friendly Toledo Youth Commission events” at International Park in East Toledo Saturday: a “pop-up park youth fit kick-off” from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and a “peace rally” from 1 to 3 p.m.

Advertisement

The peace rally, which includes free entertainment, food, and guest speakers, was also to include the balloon release about 2:30 p.m., said Alicia Smith, executive director of the city’s youth commission.

The white, olive green, and purple helium balloons were to signify serenity, peace, and commitment, respectively, Ms. Smith said. Children were going to be allowed to use butterfly stencils to decorate the balloons before release, she said.

City spokesman Janet Schroeder later acknowledged balloon releases are considered to cause litter and can harm wildlife or even cause power outages.

“That is a violation of our Toledo Municipal Code and we are adjusting that event,” Ms. Schroeder said. “We will provide the balloons to children and let them tie the balloons to their wrists and take them home as a memento.”

Advertisement

Former Toledo Councilman Frank Szollosi, who now works at the National Wildlife Federation, said balloon releases are not environmentally friendly.

“What goes up must come down,” he said. “I don’t have any data to point to or any peer review scientific analyses, but anything that has the potential to get deposited into a lake, pond, or the Maumee River, and potentially hurts wildlife habitats, is not good.”

Website balloonsblow.org, run by a nonprofit organization based in Jensen Beach, Fla., says thousands of balloons have been collected from Florida beaches since it began keeping track in 2011.

“Although the Mylar balloons are more visible, we find many more latex balloons, perhaps because the balloon industry spends millions of dollars falsely marketing latex balloons as ‘biodegradable,’ ‘environmentally friendly’ and ‘safe to release,’” the website states. “However, it is these latex balloons that are especially deadly as their burst remnants actually mimic the food of many creatures.”

Contact Ignazio Messina at: imessina@theblade.com or 419-724-6171 or on Twitter @IgnazioMessina.

First Published June 24, 2017, 5:13 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS  
Join the Conversation
We value your comments and civil discourse. Click here to review our Commenting Guidelines.
Must Read
Partners
Advertisement
A balloon release planned by the city for Saturday was canceled after officials were reminded the practice is not environmentally friendly and against city law.  (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Szollosi  (THE BLADE)  Buy Image
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Advertisement
LATEST local
Advertisement
Pittsburgh skyline silhouette
TOP
Email a Story