Balloon Mission continues combatting unsuspecting pollutant

Balloon Mission, a nonprofit that was founded — and took off — in Merrick last December, has been making waves in the immediate community, and beyond. Its founder, Cynthia Seibold, wants people to realize that the simple act of releasing a balloon into the sky, or throwing them in the trash after they’ve been used at a party, can be detrimental to the environment and many animals.

“They’re always going to be a plastic,” Seibold said of balloons. “They break down into micro and nanoplastics. The science is there.”

Full balloons — either foil or latex — as well as shreds of them, and their strings, impact trees and plants, and of course, wildlife, which may mistake balloon pieces for food.

From the start, Seibold emphasized that she is not “anti-balloon.” Rather, she wants to make people aware of alternatives to balloons, such as bubbles or burning sage, and to reiterate that if people want to use balloons, they should dispose of them responsibly.

“One of the things that we’re really pushing and raising awareness on is that balloon releases are a problem out in the environment,” she said. “Part of the message that we’re trying to get out is — listen, there are cool alternative to balloon releases.”

Since January, Balloon Mission has collected 16,387 balloons. Eager partners have been the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, as well as the North Merrick School District. Shore Road Elementary School in Bellmore Public Schools will be joining the efforts, and Seibold said they’re looking forward to working with even more schools come September.

It’s not just Nassau County communities that are hopping on the trend of recycling balloons. Seibold said in April, Balloon Mission worked with the Town of Babylon at its Earth Day celebration.

“The Town of Babylon has just been incredible,” Seibold said. “They’re taking Balloon Mission out on their own outreach programs. They have put balloon bin stickers on their own recycling bins, and through their outreach programs, we have had schools call us and say hey, ‘We want to be part of the mission and collect balloons.’”

Balloon Mission partnered with the Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center on June 17.

“It was Bubbles over Balloons,” Seibold said. “So you know, instead of doing intentional balloon releases, for celebrations or in remembrance ceremonies, we blow bubbles instead.”

Aside from the Nature Center, Balloon Mission is also working with the Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Cleanup and the New York Marine Rescue Center.

And perhaps the best thing to come out of Balloon Mission thus far is the nonprofit’s partnership with ACDS, which previously stood for the Association for Children with Down Syndrome. Because the scope of the services the association offers has expanded, ACDS is now known simply by its acronym.

“It’s just been incredible,” Seibold said of the ACDS partnership. “At Balloon Mission, we support inclusion and diversity with our network partners here at ACDS. The smiles on their faces — there’s such a sense of pride and value that they have through this collection program.

“We really want to acknowledge and recognize their efforts here,” she added. “It shows that everyone can make an impact when it comes to saving the environment, saving wildlife.”

Jane Cohen, the supervisor of day habilitation services at ACDS, told the Herald that it has always offered volunteers to various environmental organizations. Its volunteers’ work with Balloon Mission is very beneficial to them.

“Volunteers can work on their office skills and note-taking, so they can feel like they’ve accomplished something,” she told the Herald last year. “It’s very rewarding for our individuals.”

Seibold said Balloon Mission has collected more latex balloons and pieces than foil. “It’s not just full balloons we collect,” she said. “It’s balloon pieces. So we’re collecting and counting every piece.”

What Balloon Mission really strives to do is simple: create awareness.

“This is a new shift — this is new information,” she said. “Some people say, ‘Now that I know this, I’m not using balloons ever again.’ There are other people in the middle of the road, who are saying, ‘Listen, I get what you’re saying — I still love balloons, and I’m still going to use them. But now I know that there’s a place where I could send them, that there are places that take the balloons.’ We want to make it convenient and as easy as possible.”

To learn more about everything Balloon Mission is doing, visit BalloonMission.org, or contact info@balloonmission.org.