Up, up and away…..

It’s interesting stuff, is helium. There’s a lot of it about out there – roughly a quarter of the sun is made up of helium. Yet here on Earth it’s relatively rare – and getting rarer. It was only properly discovered in 1895 yet we’re rattling through it like it’s going out of fashion. It’s a fantastically useful element: it can be mixed with oxygen in order to make breathing easier – a life-saver for new-born babies with breathing problems. It can help underwater divers safely reach the depths of the oceans. It is used to provide the low temperatures needed for superconducting magnets, such as those used in most MRI scanners in hospitals. It’s also used in the production of computer chips, fibre optics and liquid crystal displays, like TV screens. Oh yes, and we stuff it into balloons and release it, never to be recaptured. And, as they say at Lidl, once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Talking of balloons, everyone loves a balloon, don’t they? Births, deaths, marriages, it seems any kind of celebration or commemoration qualifies for a balloon or two. Sadly though, they’re problematic for the environment. If ‘released’ (what a strange term that is, implying an act of mercy towards those cruelly imprisoned balloons!) they will gently waft off into the skies and come down somewhere else as litter. The plastic metallic ones will never biodegrade and they invariably have plastic ribbons and other embellishments for wildlife to get tangled up in. Many land and marine animals even mistake this sky litter for food. And if not ‘released’ they’re still effectively single-use items that will end up in landfill.

Why not consider a few environmentally-friendly alternatives for your event?

For that floating-away effect, how about blowing some good old fashioned bubbles? A pot of those will last longer and be more engaging than a long-gone balloon.

Bunting is a great way to decorate for a get-together and can be used again, too. Ribbons, flags and pinwheels can be fun, too,

Plant a tree or rose in remembrance. It will provide a permanent marker of a departed loved one and will benefit the environment, too.

`  Tissue paper pom-poms, native wildflower seed bombs, origami sculptures and lots of other ideas can be found at www.balloonsblow.org