Hi Lemmy,

I’m organising a funeral, and one of the ideas that has come up is for people to write memories on a balloon and let them go. However, I’ve also heard that they often end up in trees etc and are terrible for the environment.

Is there such a thing as environmentally safe balloons? Other suggestions are also welcome.

  • OtterEnglish
    14•5 months ago

    The other comment touched on balloons so I had some other suggestions based on things that other cultures have done

    • Would lanterns be ok? They follow a similar principle, and they might be made of more biodegradable materials (paper lanterns). This isn’t something I’m familiar with though
    • There’s also the idea of setting something biodegradable ‘to sail’ on the water. Little paper boats with messages on them should be possible, and it would be easier to write something on them. You’d need a lake, and you’d need to check if the type of paper will dissolve, but it still feels better to me than balloons

    Sorry for your loss

    • @[email protected]
      3•5 months ago

      If you mean the floating lanterns they’re usually made with wire and are a hazard to wildlife and domestic animals, as well as creating litter.

      • lad
        2•5 months ago

        They may be made entirely of wood and paper, but as pointed out, fire hazard is still a thing

    • Radical Dog
      2•5 months ago

      Lanterns are a plague on farmers unfortunately. We’ve picked out quite a few from hedges over the years, it’s just littering with extra steps.