On Wednesday, January 19, the Encinitas City Council will consider an ordinance to ban the sale, use, and release of all balloons filled with a gas lighter than air in the city of Encinitas.
We would like to extend our gratitude to the Encinitas Environmental Commission for drafting this ordinance and getting it before the council. We would also like to thank YOU and the hundreds of local community members who have joined us to voice your support to the Environmental Commission, and now, the City Council.
Now that the ordinance will go before the council, we are asking you one last time to help us pass the first balloon ban in San Diego County. We are calling all ocean, wave and beach lovers - especially residents of Encinitas and other North County cities - to submit a quick email comment in support of this ordinance.
Please Submit Written Comment to the Encinitas City Council by 4pm on Wednesday, January 19
*If formatting doesn't work on your phone/computer email apps, you can copy & paste from THIS GOOGLE DOC
Click the link above to use our templated email & be sure to amend it if you live in Encinitas - your voice counts the most! We encourage everyone to add their own personal comments or submit an original letter - the email address for comments is council@encinitasca.gov.
Even a one sentence email that states you "fully support the city’s proposed balloon ordinance which would prohibit the use, sale, release and distribution of all lighter than air filled balloons" would be very helpful!
See below for additional resources re: balloon pollution, including the ordinance itself.
resources and supplementary info
- If you would like to attend the meeting to address the council directly -or- fill out a slip in support but not speak, you can find instructions HERE under Agenda Items (the balloon ordinance is Item 10C).
- Below is the finalized ordinance plus Agenda Report by the environmental commission. CLICK HERE to see full report which includes 100+ pages of submitted comments from the public, mostly in support.
https://sandiego.surfrider.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-01-19_Item_10C_Balloon_Ordinance_2022-01.pdf
- Our Campaign page with blogs going back to the effort's earliest stages
- Coast News article covering our effort from May 6, 2021.
- Surfrider SD beach cleanup volunteers have removed over 11,000 balloons since our chapter started tracking data in 2012. This number is likely a tiny fraction of the total number of balloons littering our shores, lost at sea, and continuing to choke and maim marine wildlife.
- Balloons Blow, a website dedicated to spreading awareness about the dangers of balloon pollution, the harm they cause to marine wildlife, and why our limited helium supply should be reserved for important medical research.
