Lanterns, like balloons, float and then eventually come down. After Valentine’s Day, a man collected over 30 love themed balloons in only a few hours off the coast of Laguna Beach. I believe there is already a lot of awareness to the problem with balloon releases and am shocked that they still allowed anywhere. They are awful for the environment and both marine and terrestrial wildlife. So, why would lanterns be different.
There is an organization called Night Lights that schedules sky lantern festivals. According to their website the events, “you’ll see people cry, pose, pop the question, and celebrate under the lantern-lit skies. You’ll hear joyous laughter and squeals of glee as lanterns are carried together in epic waves of love and light.”
“We understand your concerns and appreciate that you care as much as we do. Every event is equipped with a full cleaning crew and lantern chasers who literally chase lanterns from the moment they are lit, following their trajectory, for a quick pick up. This efficient crew continues a widespread search for lanterns before we leave our event location, sweeping the area during the lantern launch and directly after.”