Happy Earth Day!

So, originally I thought I would chat about Earth Day today, but there is something more pressing. There is this priest in Brazil, who was actually carried away by some balloons while trying to raise money for charity, and is now missing. How crazy is that? Many times in my childhood I tried to launch a baloon with a message ... hoping someone on the other side of the world would find my message and reply. It never happened. We do occasionally hear those stories of successful balloon message relays:

A couple released 50 balloons with messages on their wedding day (5/15/05) in Osage, IA and had one found three years later in Peterborough, Ontario (Canada)

There is a family in Beavercreek, OH, that sends up balloons every year for their daugters birthday. She never got a response, until her 6th birthday, when she received a call from a man in Churubusco, N.Y.

You would think with the world of IM and text, that the good-old message-tied-to-a-helium-balloon might be a thing of the past. Not so! A google search indicates that the practice is pretty widespread, especially in the elementary schools.

And I digress...
I wanted to talk about this priest that was carried away. He was holding onto "hundreds" of helium balloons (whereas our balloon messages generally consist of one message to on balloon). Check out a video of the launch.

Back to Earth Day
The intention of Earth Day is to spur awareness and appreciation of the Earth's environment. Seems to me like this holiday doesnt receive a whole lot of attention ... and maybe even less this year. Global warming, recycling, energy conservation (and so on) have been such regular topics in the press I think that nobody knows what to stress today. On March 29th many of us celebrated Earth Hour in which we turned off our lights for one hour. So what do we do for Earth Day? I am not really sure - and unfortunately without some sort of clear guidance, I generally find that I do nothing.

Maybe when I get home I will launch some helium balloons with messages about protecting the environment :) Who knows, my luck may change and someone may actually receive it.