Balloon Mission is up and away

Where do balloons go when they’re released into the sky?

Cynthia Seibold had that same question.

The North Merrick resident, who has a background in insurance underwriting, spent a lot of time outdoors at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and noticed that among all the litter that is found at Long Island’s parks, preserves and beaches, one category stood out: balloons.

Or rather, shreds of balloons. Seibold found their strings, and particles from their plastic or rubber bodies, impacting trees and plants and, of course, wildlife, which may mistake balloon pieces for food.

During the pandemic, Seibold said, people looked for different ways to share events like birthdays, graduations and retirements. Balloon releases have always been popular, but they became even more so, as people looked for ways to express their emotions and celebrate in any way they could.

“Balloons are (a) leading cause of pollution in our waters and our air — they break down into microplastics and nanoplastics,” Seibold said. “I kept saying to myself, ‘There has to be a better way.’

“We’re always on the defense,” she added. “How could we fix this?”

She felt it was time to take a more proactive approach to the proliferation of balloons, and created a nonprofit called Balloon Mission in the hope of doing just that.

“Our program is to collect balloons before they end up on the land and in oceans, reducing our carbon footprint and the harmful microplastics that are generated from balloons,” Seibold said. “And for every balloon that is sold and responsibly collected, we feel it’s going to be one less piece of litter that’s harming our wildlife.”

She emphasized that she is not “anti-balloon.”

“This is a growing issue,” she said. “I think people need to know that there are options of ballooning responsibly. We’re not telling you to not have your balloons, but discard them in an appropriate manner.”

Though the nonprofit is in its early stages, Seibold said she has received a great deal of support and built relationships with local and statewide organizations, including the Town of Hempstead Department of Sanitation, the State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Merrick Chamber of Commerce, among others.

One of her primary goals, she said, is to the get the message out that Balloon Mission is initiating balloon collections in the town, and hopes to have collection bins set up by the first week of January so people can properly dispose of their holiday balloons.

The bins will be cardboard boxes with Balloon Mission signage, Seibold explained. Locations are still being determined, but she is hoping to set them up in community-oriented locations like firehouses, VFW Halls and libraries.

On a national level, Seibold said, people are noticing the effects that balloons have on the environment. “There was actually a New York Times article that came out in March of 2022, that talks about this surge in balloon frenzy,” she said. “We couldn’t celebrate and we couldn’t do things when we were in lockdown.

“We did these big balloon displays, and they’ve gotten even bigger and it’s not going away,” she said. “People want this — they want a balloon collection. They want options. They want to feel like they’re part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

Through her research and communication with officials in the Town of Hempstead, Seibold learned that the municipality actually has a code prohibiting the intentional release of balloons. It was passed into law in November 2019.

Since then, Seibold said, she has witnessed two balloon releases, and said she would like to see signage go up, perhaps sometime next spring, advising against them.

She believes the timing of the code’s passage, and the beginning of the pandemic, made it hard for the town to enforce it, but she is hopeful that Balloon Mission can help bring its intent back to the forefront of residents’ minds.

To view the code, go to TinyURL.com/BalloonCode.

Seibold is working closely with ACDS, an organization that offers lifetime services to people of all ages with intellectual disabilities. Formerly the Association for Children with Down Syndrome, because of the scope of the services it offers, ACDS is now known simply by its acronym. It has locations in North Merrick and Plainview.

Jane Cohen, the supervisor of day habilitation services at ACDS, told the Herald that it has always offered volunteers to various environmental organizations, and that its members are excited about helping Seibold’s nonprofit.

“In January, we’re going to start collecting (balloons) from various pickup sites, and then we’re going to bring them back to our hub sites and sift through them,” Cohen said. “(Volunteers) can work on their office skills and note-taking, so they can feel like they’ve accomplished something. It’s very rewarding for our individuals.”

ACDS plans to provide some 200 volunteers to Balloon Mission. “We feel this is a symbiotic relationship,” Seibold said of the partnership, “and works in keeping with ACDS’s goal of increasing life and social skills, and work readiness for their participants.”

She also hopes to educate people on alternatives to balloons. “I’m not looking to get rid of balloons — they make people light up,” she said. “I would like to start thinking of alternatives. Can we blow bubbles? Can we send up a nice waft of smoke or sage into the air? It’s about finding these other ways of commemorating those moments in our life.”

Seibold said she was hopeful that the establishment of her nonprofit would get people thinking about ways to help and find solutions. “There are people that are smarter than me out there,” she said, “and I need those people in on the Balloon Mission.”

To get in touch with Seibold, and to learn more about Balloon Mission’s future initiatives, contact TheBalloonMission@gmail.com.