Balloons won’t fly anymore in New Shoreham, Rhode Island.
The town council there voted unanimously this week to say goodbye to balloons for good. The new law prohibits the sale and use of balloons throughout the town, which comprises the area of Block Island off Rhode Island’s coast.
“We are very concerned about the environment,” said Kenneth Lacoste, first warden of the town council. “There’s a lot of information out there of damages that balloons do to the wildlife.”
Wildlife isn’t the only concern. Environmental organizations often point out that balloons can land in the ocean, eventually washing up on the shore and polluting the environment.
Balloons Blow, a nonprofit organization dedicated to warning the public of the dangers of balloons, offers environmentally friendly alternatives to balloons on their website.
“When your community is surrounded by water and you see the wrath of balloon trash daily, it’s no wonder they are banning balloons altogether,” Danielle Vosburgh, founder of the organization, wrote in an email to CNN.
Lacoste said balloons have been spotted in the water around New Shoreham far too often. The town made a decision to ban one-time-use plastic grocery bags a couple of months ago for the same reasons. Lacoste said the balloon bill is essentially a follow-up to the previous legislation.
Although there are no specific party stores on the island that depend heavily on the sales of balloons, Lacoste said there are a few places that use them for parties or events.
The new rule is set to begin Monday, and anyone who breaks it will face a $200 maximum fine.
New Shoreham now joins a few other towns, such as Provincetown and Nantucket in Massachusetts, that have banned balloons. Other states have legislation to regulate balloon releases.
http://www.wfsb.com/story/37897341/new-law-bans-the-sale-and-use-of-balloons-in-rhode-island-town
“…Balloons Blow, a nonprofit organization dedicated to warning the public of the dangers of balloons….”
With all the radioactive crap that’s being dumped into the oceans, the fracking chemicals permanently poisoning aquifers, and the EPA itself dumping toxic waste into rivers, how can these idiots possibly unite to fight balloon pollution?
By latching onto this ridiculous cause, they pat themselves on the back for helping the environment, while in reality it just allows them to ignore all of the real problems they’re too scared to recognize.
…kinda reminds me of Sheldon on “Big Bang Theory” with his no whistling policy…this is just as ridiculous.
And JR is right again…with all the other stuff floating around out there (chemtrails, Fukushima, etc.) why would these nincompoops focus on balloons? Over-sized fake boobs? Yeah, I could see that…but REAL balloons? Idiots.
RI is where the Nitrous Mafia began. One tank and lots of balloons.