We don’t have to feign shock at the latest comically silly behavior from the America’s Cup; the release of thousands of balloons into the air to celebrate the end of the otherwise non-noteworthy America’s Cup World Series Göteberg event.
It seems like just yesterday when the America’s Cup had partners like Sailors for the Sea to tell them that RELEASING BALLOONS IS NOT A FUCKING ‘THING’ ANYMORE! Apparently, that kind of thing doesn’t matter to them anymore. Or maybe they were jealous of all that press that Rio’s been getting.
But the environment matters to us as sailors, and we have long known that the balloon industries’ claims about biodegradable latex are mostly bullshit. Even the most ‘eco-friendly’ marketed balloons will be in the water or on the ground for months or years, doing wonderful things to the airways of fish, birds and mammals while decorating shorelines with their pretty colors as they ‘break down.’ That’s why no one with a conscience still releases balloons.
And even if they were biodegradable, would it matter? Cardboard boxes are biodegradable – does that give you the right to drop thousands of them on a city from an airplane to celebrate your sailboat race?
Listen, folks – we get that the AC and its title sponsor Louis Vuitton has decided that super-wealthy are really all that matters for AC35’s bottom line. But we don’t believe that you need to take a huge, stinking blue and yellow shit all over the environment just to show that you’re part of their club.
Unless…hang on a second…could it be that Russell Coutts is hunting for some of that big fat Gazprom sponsorship money? Hey Russell, here’s an idea for a ceremony to end the Bermuda ACWS event later this year: The party starts with a celebratory oil spill in the Great Sound, continues on to an all-you-can-eat conch, lobster, and bluefin tuna barbecue, and concludes with the release of thousands of mourning doves. Be careful, though – it appears the Bermudians care more about their environment than you thought when you tried to steamroll them.
Title reference to something almost as nasty as the AC’s environmental stance (NSFW).
