Happy, Quiet Fourth!
Is it time to break up with fireworks?
Dear Solution-aries,
I wish you a happy Fourth of July! A happy and quiet Fourth of July, that is.
In preparation for Independence Day, I wrote about alternatives to flashy pyrotechnics.
For instance, in Laguna Beach, CA, 300 drones will take to the skies. To celebrate Independence Day, they will paint the Stars & Stripes, and giant letters U-S-A in red, white, and blue into the sky above the Laguna shores, creating a spectacular light show in patriotic colors. This is the first time the coastal city will use drones instead of pyrotechnics, and except for the oohs and aahs of the viewers, the night will be fantastically quiet.
“At the end of the day, this comes down to protecting our environment, veterans and our wildlife,” Laguna Beach Mayor Pro Tem Alex Rounaghi said about the decision.
Laguna Beach will join La Jolla, North Lake Tahoe, parts of Los Angeles, and a growing number of other cities around the world that have decided to stop launching rockets in favor of more environmentally friendly celebrations.
I’ve seen first-hand the devastation that fireworks can cause. For several years, when I volunteered as a marine mammal rescuer with a local rescue organization, we reliably collected dozens of distressed sea lion pups and disoriented birds in the days after the big bang of Independence Day. Animal shelters routinely clear their kennels before the Fourth of July (i.e., euthanize resident dogs who haven’t been adopted) in preparation for the influx of panicked dogs and cats that jump their owners’ yards, terrified when the big booms go off. Studies in Europe confirm that fireworks displace migratory birds long-term, cause birds to abandon their nests for good and lead wild horses to injure themselves when they flee the noise.
Not to mention how dangerous it is that fire works, amateur fire crackers and bottle rockets can start wildfires or land on flammable roof tops. Every 4th of July, hospitals will up with injured and severely burned people.
Call me a party pooper, but once I learned all this, I began to hate fireworks with a passion. When I started asking why we need to set off destructive explosives in order to have a good time, I found that all of this could easily be avoided because safer and more environmentally friendly alternatives are readily available.
Laser and drone shows are comparatively new inventions, but because of AI, they are rapidly getting more sophisticated and entertaining every year. The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo proved this innovation beautifully with 1,820 dancing drones instead of fireworks on the opening day.
Read about the alternatives here:
Is It Time to Break Up With Fireworks?
Hundreds of drones form the California bear over Travis Air Force Base. Credit: Tech. Sgt. James Hodgman / US Air Force
Enjoy Independence Day!
Cheerfully,
Michaela