healtheocean
By Heal the Ocean
Old Spanish Days celebrations are right around the corner in Santa Barbara, and Heal the Ocean (HTO) urges everybody to celebrate responsibly when it comes to confetti.
While the tradition of cracking confetti eggs (cascarones) over someone’s head during Fiesta has long been a Santa Barbara tradition, HTO has noticed a significant increase in mylar, plastic, and glitter confetti. The shiny metallic confetti, sequins, and glitter are made of plastic, which is not biodegradable and can persist in our environment for years.
These materials inevitably wash into the storm drains (despite HTO working with the City of Santa Barbara to cover the storm drains), and the confetti gets washed to sea. Moreover, it’s lethal to marine life because the confetti is often mistaken for food.
Heal the Ocean encourages everyone to opt for paper confetti and, even then, use it sparingly. Please remember that throwing confetti and leaving it behind is a form of littering.
Heal the Ocean also encourages everyone to be mindful of their trash during Fiesta. Each year single-use plastics, paper plates, bottles, etc., litter State Street and nearby cross streets. In previous years, HTO has engaged Earthcomb to clean up the cross streets during Fiesta, as well as after the celebration is over.
I don’t go near Fiesta anymore but if I did I’d buy up flats of cascarones to keep them off the street. I know, I’m a killjoy, but for a cause.
Don’t even get me started on this cascarones confetti Fiesta crapfest!
You seem to be a self-starter.
This problem comes up every year at fiesta and now solstice. People cracking these eggs do not care about the mess or the harm to wildlife.it’s time to stop the mass production and selling of eggs.
The video ad is informative and reasonable. But who is going to see it?
I could live without the cascarones as long as they bring back bars and restaurants selling drinks out the windows on State St.
Until it’s both illegal and you provide an appropriate, fully biodegradable non trash substitute it’s not going away.
Like how about meringue mash pies?
6:22- It IS illegal. Just not enforced, like other street vendors. The politics don’t allow for enforcement.