Church Procedure for Helium-filled Balloons ECO Home Page
In 2010, ECO recommended to Church Council that balloons filled with helium not be released, and that instead all helium-filled balloons be deflated before removal from church property. The recommended procedure was discussed and revised multiple times before being approved by Church Council. (Board approval was not required as it is not a policy.) The reason for the recommendation is based on our 7th UU principle of "respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." Unfortunately, balloons that are released eventually end up in waterways and can cause suffering and death for animals that mistake them for food. Even if they are not consumed by animals, they become litter which takes a long time to biodegrade. For more information, see the last draft of the recommendation here.
In 2010, ECO recommended to Church Council that balloons filled with helium not be released, and that instead all helium-filled balloons be deflated before removal from church property. The recommended procedure was discussed and revised multiple times before being approved by Church Council. (Board approval was not required as it is not a policy.) The reason for the recommendation is based on our 7th UU principle of "respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." Unfortunately, balloons that are released eventually end up in waterways and can cause suffering and death for animals that mistake them for food. Even if they are not consumed by animals, they become litter which takes a long time to biodegrade. For more information, see the last draft of the recommendation here.