As graduation ceremonies and summer celebrations fill the skies with balloons, a Duke University student is hoping to change a tradition she says leaves a lasting mark on the environment.
"When those balloons deflate, they float back down to Earth," said Ariane Lemaire, an environmental science and marine science student at Duke University. "Eventually they enter our rivers, and then they float to the ocean."
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Lemaire has launched a statewide campaign to reduce balloon litter through education, citizen science and support for policies that discourage intentional balloon releases.
"I don't think people who are releasing balloons are intentionally trying to harm the environment," she said. "It's kind of normalized in our culture. I'm trying to raise awareness for this issue and offer alternatives instead of criminalizing people."
Her campaign comes as Senate Bill 20, which would prohibit certain mass balloon releases in North Carolina and impose a $250 civil penalty, remains stalled in the General Assembly after being referred to committee.
For now, balloon releases remain legal across most of North Carolina.
Several coastal communities have adopted their own restrictions, including Dare County, Currituck County and the towns of Duck, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Southern Shores, where balloon debris has become a recurring problem along beaches.
More than litter
Environmental advocates say released balloons can travel miles before returning to the ground, where they become another form of plastic pollution.
Latex balloons, while often marketed as biodegradable, can persist in the environment for months. Foil or Mylar balloons do not biodegrade and instead break down into smaller plastic fragments over time.
Wildlife can mistake balloon fragments for food or become entangled in attached ribbons. Sea turtles often confuse floating balloons with jellyfish, while birds and other animals can suffer fatal digestive blockages after ingesting balloon debris.
Lemaire also points to another concern many people don't associate with balloons: power outages.
"Mylar balloons explode on impact with electrical wires," she said. "They're also a fire risk for our neighborhoods."
Utilities across the country have documented outages caused by metallic balloons contacting overhead power lines, particularly around holidays and graduation season.
A statewide database
To better understand the scope of the problem, Lemaire created the website Clear Skies and Seas, where people can upload photos and locations of balloon litter they find across North Carolina.
"We have documented several balloons, especially on our beaches," she said. "It's really sad to see the balloons contaminating that environment."
She hopes the project encourages more residents to participate in cleanup efforts while giving researchers a clearer picture of where balloon litter is ending up.
Anyone can contribute to the database regardless of their scientific background, she said.
Looking for alternatives
Rather than telling people to stop celebrating, Lemaire wants communities to rethink how they mark important moments.
She suggests alternatives including blowing bubbles, planting flowers or trees, using reusable decorations or creating paper-based decorations that don't become long-term litter.
"It's been supported by Republican and Democrat lawmakers," she said of balloon reduction efforts nationwide. "It really is something that unites us across our backgrounds and communities to protect our wildlife and our homes."
Nearly a dozen states have enacted restrictions on intentional balloon releases, while North Carolina lawmakers have yet to move Senate Bill 20 out of committee.
As graduation season continues, Lemaire hopes more people will simply think twice before letting go.
"Once you know where balloons really go," she said, "there are so many other ways to celebrate that don't stay in our environment forever."