Bengaluru group's campaign fights for I-Day celebration without balloons
The NoBalloonPlease campaign is trying to persuade citizens and state governments to celebrate this Independence Day without balloons, but with earth-friendly decorations made of cloth, paper or flowers which can be reused recycled or composted.
Odette Katrak, an environment and sustainability changemaker and her Beautiful Bharat citizen volunteer group is running the campaign.
Katrak told TNIE, 'The campaign began in 2018. In 2020 during the lockdown, many people replaced balloons with DIY decorations from newspapers. In 2023, we launched the 'No Balloons Please' petition on Change.org, addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to explain the environmental impact and suggesting alternatives which also help livelihoods. The petition has got 72,000 supporters.'
'As part of this year's campaign, we are reaching out to Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries, a priority set by Almitra Patel, well known for her pioneering work around waste,' Katrak said 'Balloons are made of dyes and chemicals. They are non-biodegradable and become non-recoverable garbage. They cannot be recycled, merge with soil and pollute the groundwater and other water bodies where they end up, and cause distress to birds, animals, and a choking hazard to infants.
On the civic front, balloons can touch power cables and cause explosions', said Katrak. 'We are people to replace balloons with paper, cloth and flower decorations this Independence Day onwards, also helping vendors,' she said.
She urged people to help spread the message and support NoBalloonPlease petition on change.org.
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