I was disappointed to see the photo of Westerly Creek Elementary kids releasing helium balloons in support of those affected by breast cancer in the November Front Porch. Though it takes longer than throwing trash directly on the ground, releasing helium-filled balloons is littering plain and simple. Every balloon that rises eventually falls back to earth. And when they do fall back down, balloons pose a serious hazard to birds, fish and mammals that eat the colorful latex pieces and become entangled in the lengths of ribbon. Let’s stop honoring important causes by littering and killing wildlife. There are great, harmless alternatives including having an indoor balloon drop, blowing bubbles, or simply donating the money that would have been spent on balloons directly to the charity.
—Sarah Tuneberg