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:
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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:
(Balloons found on North County beaches.)