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To: Cove Manila, Okada Manila, Guinness World Records, Hennessy, Belvedere Vodka

STOP COVE MANILA'S BALLOON DROP

This campaign has ended.

Even if this will be done indoors, Cove Manila's balloon drop must be stopped. How about growing 130,000 indigenous trees to offset your carbon emissions? This online campaign was originally created by Rodne R. Galicha, Philippine manager of The Climate Reality Project.

Why is this important?

It is unsustainable, wasteful and ecologically apathetic. Cove Manila said that the balloon drop will be done indoors and will follow waste disposal guidelines but the activity in itself contradicts the basic principles of environmental sustainability.

1. All of these balloons, if not recycled, will end up as waste in landfills and other areas which will harm wildlife, marine and terrestrial ecosystems and even clog sewage systems, among others.
2. The Philippines is 3rd in the world dumping wastes into the oceans. Don't add more.
3. There are environment-friendly alternatives, read here: https://balloonsblow.org/environmentally-friendly-alternatives.

Need more reference? Download Save Philippine Seas Defying Gravity Toolkit at http://www.savephilippineseas.org/toolkits

Let's look reflect on the words of econetizen Grayson Gil Lidon Yañez: "Dear Cove Manila, we know this event sounds like a blast in time for the new year but we’ve never been this challenged with plastic pollution than ever before. 130,000 is a massive number of balloons and trash that could flow to the oceans in due time. We hope you reconsider your choice of material for your celebration and we would gladly help you think of more environmentally-friendly yet still fun ways to usher in the new year... We understand that it will be done indoors and that you comply with waste disposal rules. But wouldn’t it be wiser, more cost-efficient, and sustainable to prevent at source? And by this we mean completely refraining from using balloons instead.
It’s 130,000 plastic/rubber balloons we are talking about here — at a single event. Chances are it will still be dumped in sites or eventually end up in the oceans. Hope you will still reconsider and help us take action in taking care of our environment. There are many ways to celebrate and have fun, but not at the expense of the environment. And again, we will gladly help you think of other ways..."

Econetizen Edgar Alan Zeta-Yap adds:

"Despite repeated calls by netizens this past week to find an eco-friendly alternative to their extremely wasteful event, Cove Manila of Okada Manila continues to defend their ”record-breaking” release of 130,000 balloons at their New Year’s Eve party, sponsored by Hennessy and Belvedere Vodka.

Justifying that the world’s largest balloon drop will be held indoors and that proper waste disposal will be followed, they totally miss the point as the country — and the entire planet — suffers from plastic pollution on a monumental scale as it is.

More than 80% of plastic waste in the country is mismanaged, and often ends up in the ocean. And the Philippines is already the world’s third largest contributor to plastic pollution in the ocean."

How it will be delivered

We will e-mail and deliver this in person.

Links

Updates

2018-12-31 01:16:26 +0800

Petition is successful with 70,816 signatures

2018-12-30 20:58:52 +0800

We are successful!!

2018-12-30 07:46:29 +0800

50,000 signatures reached

2018-12-30 00:56:12 +0800

and we're going to 45,000... let more signatures in.

2018-12-29 21:41:32 +0800

We are now 30,000+ strong!

2018-12-29 21:14:04 +0800

Wynwyn joins our call: https://twitter.com/wynmarquez/status/1078929127829254146

2018-12-29 21:02:40 +0800

DENR orders stoppage of Balloon Drop

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1067679/denr-orders-to-stop-record-attempt-of-largest-balloon-drop-at-okada

2018-12-29 16:34:53 +0800

20,000 signatures reached

2018-12-29 13:04:59 +0800

10,000 signatures reached

2018-12-29 13:03:59 +0800

We will be sending this petition to Okada and Cove Manila minutes from now - we are reaching 10,000 signatures!!!

2018-12-29 13:02:58 +0800

Save Philippine Seas: https://twitter.com/SavePHSeas/status/1078822467890749442

2018-12-29 13:01:50 +0800

Greenpeace Philippines: https://twitter.com/gpph/status/1078868470329094144

2018-12-29 13:01:24 +0800

Even controversial Sass Rogando Sasot joins: https://www.facebook.com/forthemotherlandph/posts/821791504853164

2018-12-29 12:59:54 +0800

Our partner Ecowaste Coalition has written an open letter to Okada. Read here: https://ecowastecoalition.blogspot.com/2018/12/open-letter-to-cove-manila-and-okada.html

2018-12-29 11:09:05 +0800

5,000 signatures reached