Broward Intentional Balloon Release Ordinance
Surfrider Foundation Broward County Chapter is asking that the Broward County Commission bans all intentional balloon releases, including balloons marketed as "biodegradable." This is because even one balloon litters the environment and can cause a painful death to an animal, including horses, birds, and the endangered species in our oceans. Even balloons marketed as "biodegradable" have been shown to have difficulty degrading in a marine environment, and have hurt or killed sea turtles. Sea turtles and other animals mistake balloons for prey. Many times, these balloon releases also include strings, which have been shown to entangle wildlife. Balloons can cause damage (and even fires) to power lines, especially if they are Mylar balloons.
“Everyone uses products of the many industries that require helium, and there is no way to cheaply make more. Many people do not realize that helium is a non-renewable resource. It is made on earth via nuclear decay of uranium, and it is recovered from mines. Once it is released into the atmosphere it becomes uneconomical to recapture it, and eventually atmospheric helium will escape earth altogether because it is so light. This is an issue that many people outside the industries that use helium are unaware of, but one that will eventually affect them nonetheless.”- Forbes 2016 Helium is used as a cooling medium for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and the superconducting magnets in MRI scanners and NMR spectrometers. It is also used to keep satellite instruments cool and was used to cool the liquid oxygen and hydrogen that powered the Apollo space vehicles.
Surfrider Broward Chapter is asking for the ban of all intentional balloon releases because this is the same as littering, and there are other alternatives to releasing balloons. Such as planting trees, blowing bubbles and even hosting beach cleanups in memorium of a loved one.