Nebraska Huskers justifies their game day littering by claiming their balloons “shatter into small pieces” and are “biodegradable.” The proof that this statement is false is beginning to fall over the countryside…
At every home game Nebraska Huskers has been releasing thousands of balloons as soon as they hit the scoreboard. This time-honored tradition began over 60 years ago. There was some concern over Helium supplies in 2012, but UNL felt those issues were resolved and continue with their regular mass littering events. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln also includes balloon releases at homecoming events, memorials, and celebrations. We understand the University is making efforts to be more sustainable. However, wasting a finite resource and tossing thousands of pieces of trash to litter the countryside and endanger wildlife is a tradition that needs to come to an end.
President, James B. Milliken: president@nebraska.edu
Chris Anderson, Director of Athletic Community Relations: canderson@huskers.com
Marc Boehm, University of Nebraska Athletics: mboehm@huskers.com
Ethan Rowley, Director of Fan Experience: erowley@huskers.com
Steven Comfort, Professor of Environmental Restoration Science: scomfort1@unl.edu
Below is the email we received from Nebraska Huskers:
“Thank you for taking the time to write and for your concern about our environment and our birds, fish and animal friends. We too are concerned with their safety. For that reason, every balloon released in Memorial Stadium is 100 percent natural latex biodegradable, as purchased from Midwest Balloon in Omaha. In addition, we do not use plastic tabs to tie off the balloons.
Research shows that latex balloons are much safer because they are made from organic materials that begin to break down immediately and shatter into small pieces within about three hours of release, or after rising about five miles into the air. Because we care about our environment, we will continue to use only latex biodegradable balloons and will monitor research in this area. We thank you for your email and input.
Sincerely,
Chris Anderson
Director of Athletic Community Relations
University of Nebraska Athletics
One Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE 68588-0120
W: (402) 472-7771 | F: (402) 472-9675| M: (402) 540-0276 | canderson@huskers.com“