Showing posts with label Balloon Council. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Balloon Council. Show all posts

Friday, May 6, 2016

Save our balloons!

California is in the process of trying to ban sales of all foil/metallic balloons. 

This is serious folks!

This bill would totally ban the sale and use of helium-filled metallic balloons in the State of California, as of January 1, 2018.

•Selling and distributing balloons made of, or attached to, electrically conductive materials would be punished as follows:
–A first offence is punished as an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $250; and
–A second subsequent offence is punishable as a misdemeanour/criminal act.

•The bill will wreak economic havoc and possibly destroy hundreds of balloon and party businesses.

•Legislation in California can have a ripple effect on other states and will severely hurt anyone in the balloon business

22,000 jobs are dependent on balloon sales in California, and 60,000,000 foil balloons are sold annually in the state. Direct and indirect sales from balloons are estimated to be nearly $1.1 billion. (Source: http://www.theballooncouncil.org/take-action/)

If you live outside of California, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about or why balloons are such a big problem in California.

The issue all started over 30 years ago when the random release of helium-filled foil balloons caused some very serious power outages. Proponents of the ban suggest that balloon-related outages cost Californians millions of dollars each year, but they don’t provide much information on how they calculate that number.

In 1990 the California State Legislature passed SB 1990, a compromise bill supported by the balloon industry enacting a law to regulate the sales and use of helium-filled foil balloons. The law was passed in an effort to reduce power outages related to balloons.

In short, to be in accordance with the California Balloon Law and reduce electrical power incidents, all retail shops that sell balloons should follow the guidelines below:

Weight all helium-filled foil balloons.
Tie all ribbons to the weight so if they are released they will float away individually. DO NOT tie ribbons together before attaching to weight. Tie them to the weight with one knot each.
Do not use metallic ribbon with helium-filled balloons.

The balloon industry has promoted these standards throughout the world, and it is working to ensure these Smart Balloon Practices are known and implemented by everyone who sells balloons.

In 2008, the issue resurfaced and a California legislator proposed to ban the sale of all foil balloons by the year 2010, once again due to the claimed increased number of power outages. An opposition grassroots campaign, “Save Our Balloons,” was set up by florists, special events planners, and small businesses to fight this new bill. Once again, due to the strong opposition, a compromise bill was passed. Because of the state’s financial crisis, the governor vetoed all “non-essential” bills and the California Balloon Law has remained the same since 1990.

So here we are again, faced with the same frightening ban that could truly affect our industry worldwide!

 So what can we do?

Monday, June 16, 2014

Releasing balloons at funerals and other poignant occasions.


Releasing balloons at funerals and other poignant occasions is a good way especially for a child to help with the understanding and feeling of saying goodbye to someone special.


'Balloon Fairies'



Recently there was a question posted on the QBN Facebook Group 
"I had a customer come in today wanting a heart or a star foil balloon for a funeral with the intention of releasing them after. I advised her against it and explained why but she insisted that she wanted them as it was a funeral for a child and it was the parents wish. What should I do"?

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

'Green' Balloons...

I have just had the pleasure of working as part of the Green Balloon Campaign team, at the first of many (we hope) public Balloon Art Festivals.



This is the first time I have ever really spent time talking to the public about our industry. Their reactions and comments regarding the balloon sculptures were amazing, everyone from the very young to the not so very young absolutely loved them! I suppose that I should not be so surprised, but it was great hearing their comments!
Sue, Amber & Claire talking to families about the Green Balloon Campaign
"Wow"... "I did not realise that you could make such fantastic things from balloons"? "are they really balloons"? are just a few of many questions we were asked. Comments such as "this is such a beautiful art form", "I have never seen anything like it" and "you really would not know that they were balloons"!

Dolphin sculpture created by Jodie Norris

But what truly amazed me more than anything was that most people that we spoke to did not realise that latex balloons are 100% biodegradable.




Here are a few facts that we shared with the visitors: 


  • Qualatex latex balloons are made from 100% natural latex- not plastic. Qualatex latex balloons are biodegradable, and decompose as fast as an oak leaf. 
  • Latex balloons come from rubber trees. Latex is collected by cutting the tree's bark, then catching the latex in a cup. Latex harvesting does not hurt the tree!
  • Latex balloons are Earth-friendly! Rubber tree's grow in rain forests. Latex harvesting discourages deforestation because latex-producing trees are left intact. A tree can produce latex for up to 40 years!
This for me, is was what made the weekend so rewarding, the opportunity to be able to inform the public the true facts about latex balloons. We talked to both children and adults, school teachers, artists, people from all walks of life. Some shared their concerns regarding the environment, so we informed them of the
BAPIA Code of Practice, the Balloon Council and the Californian Law,  all of which demonstrated  that as a profession and an industry we take environmental issues very seriously!
Picture by Huw Evans Picture Agency- Cardiff
The Red Dragon Centre with their publicity team gave the event such great media coverage, including radio, local and national newspapers. In excess of 40,000 people visited the centre over the festival weekend!

So how did our campaign start?

Bob Armstrong CBA with Bob's daughter Claire Cummings of Dr Bob's Balloons have been the driving force behind the launch of this project. Bob and Claire started the campaign 6 months ago, when they started visiting local schools, giving a fun but clear presentation to the children on how balloons are made, how latex is tapped from rubber tree's and many other important facts including how latex balloons are environmentally friendly. These school visits have been very well received by the schools and pupils alike and it was felt that it was a good time to expand and grow the campaign by creating a public event. Bob and Claire contacted John Bowler at BAPIA (the Balloon and Party Industry Alliance), and they joined forces to take the campaign forward.

Working for the Balloon & Party Industry



This is only the start, it was a fantastic way to start the campaign and has tied in very well with the IBA, International Balloon Month

 
For more pictures visit www.thegreenballoon campaign.com