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| click on image for larger view. |
Update: within hours from hearing your comments, the Arts from the Heart team decided to cancel the balloon release at the event. Thank you everyone!
Update 7 Jun: This is the updated poster of the event on the Arts from the Heart facebook page. Do come for their event which is in support of a worth cause.
This was my message to the team:
Please cancel your mass balloon release on 15 Jun 2014
I saw a poster that Arts from the Heart is planning a mass balloon release at sunset on 15 Jun 2014 at the Marina Barrage as part of Enchante Charity Carnival.
Balloons released will eventually fall into the sea, where they resemble jellyfish, the favourite food of sea turtles. When sea turtles eat balloons, they will die a slow and painful death. For more information on this see this link
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| An exploded ballon looks very much like a jellyfish! This was seen at Cyrene Reef. |
And in case you are wondering, YES, Singapore has wild sea turtles, they have come ashore to lay eggs and babies have hatched from our shores. More here.
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| In 2006 these baby sea tutles hatched at East Coast Park. Photo by N. Sivasothi |
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| A huge mama Hawksbill sea turtle had come ashore at East Coast Park to lay eggs in Jul 2013. Photo by David Tan. |
I urge you to reconsider this cruel act of mass littering and replace it with an activity that is more gentle on the planet and the creatures that we share it with. I am sure as a creative group, you can think of an awesome, safe and gentle activity.
I hope you will cancel the mass release of balloons at your event.
Thank you.
Ria.
I didn't see this poster on their facebook page, but their website mentions "Our main fund raising, Enchanté will be held at Marina Barrage on the 15th of June 2014. More details regarding the event will be updated in the near future."
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| click on image for larger view |
Balloon release cancelled!
Update on 20 May midnight, this reply was posted on the Arts from the Heart facebook page to Huang Zhenjie's post there:
"Hi Zhen Jie, we have taken note of your concerns regarding our mass release of balloons for our event, and are currently in serious reconsideration of the release. We understand your concerns for the environment and as a fellow organisation to another, we will do our best to support your cause.
However, we are also concerned that your publicity about our event to raise funds for Children's Cancer Foundation on your blogs will have negative publicity on our event itself.
Thus can we kindly request that you take down all posts regarding this issue and not send it to other media? It will do harm to both us and especially Children's Cancer Foundation if word gets out. We have our beneficiary's interest as our topmost priority and we do not want them to be in a bad light.
We seek your kind understanding on this matter."
Update on 21 May 1pm, I received this message on facebook
Hi Ria, I'm Joel, the president of NTU Cultural Activities Club. Thank you for your kind feedback to us. We have decided to remove the balloon releasing activity given the consequences it may cause. Thanks for enlightening us on this issue. We'll assist you to spread the word about being environmental friendly around and discourage this activity. Cheers! JoelThis was also posted on the Arts from the Heart facebook page
Update on 21 May 8am, I received this message on facebook
This is Kenneth, the chair person from arts from the heart! It was heart warming to see so many of your followers try to advise us against releasing our balloons that we have decided to stop the mass release for our event and go for something more environmental friendly insteadTo all I replied:
Thank you for your decision to cancel the balloon release! Now it will be a truly joyous event that will benefit people and will not harm the creatures that we share this planet with. Bravo! I send my warmest wishes to you and your team for a successful event!
Related links
- NTU club pops plan to release balloons David Ee The Straits Times AsiaOne 27 May 14;
- Environmentally-friendly alternatives to balloon release from Balloons Blow - Don't Let Them Go
- Help stop mass balloon release at Punggol on 31 Dec 2013
- Do balloon releases kill marine life?
- Balloons and soft plastic kill sea turtles, slowly and painfully
- Discarded balloons can kill sea turtles
- 1,300 balloons released at Sentosa
- Abandoned balloons seen in Woodlands mangroves
- Documented reports of death by balloon
- Reactions to mass balloon release
- Mass balloon release kills
- Why balloons by the sea is heart-breaking
- More posts about marine litter
