5 Gyres - Understanding Plastic Pollution Through Exploration, Education, and Action

(Editor's Note:  A few days ago, Executive Director Marcus Eriksen wrote a blog about finding a balloon on the beach in the Bahamas and talked about the dangers to wildlife posed by balloons in the marine environment.  That prompted a response by 5 Gyres supporter, Brooke Mougey. She shared the story that follows about her experience with plastic pollution. Thank You Brooke. We'd love to hear your story, email:  stiv@5gyres.org)

Balloon Man, By Brooke Mougey

Early in January of 2012 I was running errands for my parents. While driving to the grocery store I noticed what looked like balloons high up in the sky. I counted them as I drove; 6, 7, 8, 9. As I got closer to where they were rising from, more were joining their kin in the freedom of flight. In a few seconds I could see exactly where these balloons were coming from. There was a man in a brown jacket cutting these balloons off of the new cars in our local Chevrolet dealership lot. I could not believe what I was seeing. I continued to watch the man as a traffic light in front of me turned red and I came to a stop. 

The dealership was directly to my front and left and I watched as the man in the brown jacket moved from car to car cutting these balloons free. A few times he even stepped back to watch them float away. There was a man sitting on a picnic bench in front of the dealership office watching him as he did this. With each moment that passed I got more and more furious. When finally the light turned green, with the dealership entrance directly to my left, I pulled into their lot. I was so upset at his indifference that I was shaking and on the verge of tears. How could someone litter so much, so carelessly and in front of so many people and not seem to care at all?!

As I got near enough to him he’d opened a side door and swept inside. Oh, I wanted to give that man a piece of my mind and rage was burning hotly in my skull. I crept slowly, still inside my truck, following this man in a brown jacket as he traversed the length of the building, just behind a wall of street facing windows. I wanted to scream and rant and push this man around until he understood how offensive his actions were and what he had done wrong. Of course, I realized I couldn’t possibly talk to this man, not being as emotional as I was. There was no way I would have been able to convey my feelings in any intelligible way. I’d have been a sobbing, frustrated mess unable to utter a single un-explicit word let alone a complete sentence or two conveying my thoughts.

As I drove away I called my mom and cried to her. She comforted me and let me know that she would help me write a letter to the dealership explaining what I saw and how it made me feel. That hasn’t happened. Instead I’ve posted a link on Herb Kinman Chevrolet’s Facebook page urging them to use biodegradable balloons and string if they aren’t already doing so. I can only hope that they are or, if not, that they look into something a little more ecologically friendly. I hope to never see this behavior repeated but it might take a little more urging. I don’t have the confidence to march in there and tell them how I feel or what I think they should do, I can only hope they take the time to read the link.