During the Del Mar City Council Meeting scheduled for Monday, November 13th at 4:30pm, Council Members will discuss a draft ordinance to ban “the sale, use, and release of all balloons filled with a gas lighter than air,” and we are calling on all ocean and beach lovers to submit comments in support!
Written comments must be submitted to cityclerk@delmar.ca.us by 12:00pm on November 13th.
In-person participation on November 13th will be held at the City of Del Mar Town Hall
1050 Camino del Mar, Del Mar.
If preferred, you can copy and paste one of the templates included below and linked HERE. Personalized messages are always the most effective so please modify as you see fit—and if you live in Del Mar, include that information in your email because messages from Del Mar residents count the most, but all voices definitely matter.
Even a simple one-sentence statement, such as: "I fully support the adoption of the City’s draft balloon ordinance that will prohibit the use, sale, and distribution of balloons filled with a gas lighter than air" will be impactful.
Reasons to ban lighter than air balloons:
- They contribute to plastic pollution from our beaches to the desert.
- They break up into harmful microplastics.
- They harm wildlife through entanglement and ingestion.
- Mylar balloons cause power outages and can spark wildfires.
- Helium is a non-renewable resource.
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LETTER TEMPLATE OPTION #1
For the subject line:
In Support of Agenda Item #13 (Balloon Ban)
For the Body:
Dear Honorable Mayor and City Council Members,
As someone (or as a North County resident or as a Del Mar resident) who enjoys the beach and appreciates our coastal amenities, I would like to express my full support for the ordinance to prohibit the “use, sale, and distribution of balloons filled with a gas lighter than air” in the City of Del Mar.
Surfrider volunteers have removed over 11,000 balloons from San Diego County beaches since data collection began in 2012. Imagine how many more balloons remain unaccounted for in the environment and continue to pollute our shores and coastal waters as they break up into microplastics and wreak havoc on the environment, including injuring and killing the marine life that calls the ocean their home.
Please vote in favor of the balloon ordinance to reduce plastic pollution caused by balloon releases, both intentional and unintentional.
With appreciation,
Add your name
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LETTER TEMPLATE OPTION #2
For the Subject Line:
In Support of the Balloon Ban: Agenda Item #13
For the Body:
Honorable Mayor Martinez and Council Members,
I am grateful for Del Mar’s steadfast history of prioritizing the health and prosperity of the coastal environment, and I urge the Council to continue its efforts to protect our beaches by banning lighter than air balloons in the City of Del Mar.
Lighter than air balloons are highly mobile single-use plastic waste that can intentionally or accidentally enter the environment. They not only pollute our beaches, they can injure wildlife and they break up into microplastics that enter our food chain like any other single-use plastic item.
In addition, Mylar balloons conduct electricity, and when they contact power lines, they can cause power outages and have even sparked devastating wildfires.
For numerous additional reasons, lighter than air balloons pose an unnecessary threat to our communities and environment, and I strongly urge the Del Mar City Council to, once again, lead the way in reducing unnecessary plastics by banning the “use, sale, and distribution of balloons filled with a gas lighter than air.”
Thank you,
Add your name
Add Del Mar Resident if you live in Del Mar
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IN-PERSON PARTICIPATION:
Please complete a Speaker Slip upon arrival and include item 13 (Introduction of an Ordinance Regulating Balloons Filled with a Gas Lighter Than Air.) Submit the slip to the City Clerk prior to the agenda item being announced. Speaker Slips are located at the rear of the Meeting Room near the door.
REMOTE PARTICIPATION:
Another option is to join the meeting on Zoom or by using the phone-in information below. To indicate you would like to speak when present on Zoom, use the raise hand feature and unmute in the controls when prompted. If you are joining the meeting by phone, dial *9 to raise your hand and *6 to unmute when prompted.
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84790910014
Phone: (669) 900- 6833
Meeting ID: 847 9091 0014
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- Access the meeting agenda HERE.
- Review the draft ordinance HERE.
- Read the previous blog post HERE.
- Watch a CBS News 8 segment about the Encinitas balloon ban featuring Surfrider San Diego activist Mark O’Connor HERE.
- Visit Balloons Blow, a website dedicated to spreading awareness about the dangers of balloon pollution.
- Email RAP@surfridersd.org
(Balloons found on North County beaches.)