1,000 couples reaffirm love and commitment at Marina Barrage event called Real Love Works held by Marriage Central (by National Family Council). As a symbol of their soaring love, a thousand balloons were released into the sky.
OK, let me get this right. 1000 couples gathered at Marina Barrage and release 1000 balloons into the sky as a symbol of their soaring love. Their “soaring love” flew into the sky and is carried away to the open sea by the wind. Several hours later, their “soaring love” runs out of helium and falls back to the ground and some into the sea. Some marine life might mistook their “soaring love” as prey, eat it and die. Hmmm…. great symbolism.
Hurray for “soaring love”.
Seriously, is there a need for releasing balloons to signify something. I do not understand how a simple releasing of balloon can be used to signify love. (And in previous case, signify launch of earth hour) If releasing balloon can be used to signify anything, I think it should be signifying pollution and murder. Surely there can be other ways to signify soaring love.
Which makes me wonder, are those 1000 balloon biodegradable? Even if they are biodegradable, it can still pose as a threat to marine life, especially when the balloon release was held at Marina Barrage which is next to open sea. And as Chillycraps mentioned previously, biodegradable plastics only biodegrade into smaller particles which still can harm the environment. (Further details please wait for his thesis to finish)
There are many ways to bring your event message across without harming the environment and wildlife. Instead of releasing balloons to signify “soaring love”, why not hold on to the balloon to signify “holding on to love”.
Oh, by the way, I thought the maximum number of balloon release allowed in Singapore is 500? Did the event organisers apply a permit from CAAS?
Update: Just saw the photos of the event on ECL’s blog. Imagine all that landing into the sea. (One of the balloon even reached JB)
PS: Saw on the photos that balloons are tied to nylon string. The one that Minister Vivian Balakrishnan was holding is tied to a ribbon. Even if the balloons are biodegradable, I’m sure the nylon string aren’t. And nylon string can also do a lot of damages to marine life.
on Mar 22nd, 2009 at 3:07 PM
Sickening act.
on Mar 22nd, 2009 at 3:23 PM
LOL, you really have something against balloons.
on Mar 22nd, 2009 at 3:53 PM
Oh my. What a mess.
on Mar 22nd, 2009 at 6:49 PM
Got Minister approve. 10,000 balloons also can.
on Mar 22nd, 2009 at 7:02 PM
Chillycraps: Ya lor. I have a very sad childhood. My mum don’t buy me balloons when I’m young. Hahahaha…..
Kidding. But I just find it amusing that people don’t see it as littering/pollutions just because it goes up instead of down.
Cyen: I hope not lor.
on Mar 24th, 2009 at 3:31 PM
[...] I thought I was the only moron in this tiny little island who bothers about the balloon release by Marriage Central last…. I’m surprised that there are other “morons like me’ out there care [...]
on Mar 26th, 2009 at 11:43 AM
I am Anita Fam, the chairperson of the Marriage Central Advisory Board. I take personal responsibility for our environmental insensitivity to the mass release of balloons at Real Love Works@Marina Barrage last Saturday.
To be honest, this issue did not occur to us when the planning of this event was first initiated as we focused on the positive symbolism of ‘love is in the air’ – of couples renewing their marriage vows and releasing their promises/blessing into the air.
Thank you for surfacing this issue. For me, it has been a learning experience. Since this matter was brought to my knowledge, I have done a lot of reading up on this issue. I will from hereon be one of those who will spread the message of its environmental impact from hereon.
on May 17th, 2009 at 6:03 PM
[...] into the air so much huh? Earth Hour released 60 balloons to signify the 60 minutes of earth hour. Marriage Central released 1000 balloons to signify soaring love. Now Pink Dot also release balloons into the air. [...]
on Jun 24th, 2009 at 10:44 PM
[...] this is indeed a new record in the Singapore book of Record, beating Marriage Central’s 1000 balloon release in March this year. Interestingly enough, the maximum number of balloons allowed for mass released [...]