'Timebomb' balloon spotlights global warming - OCRegister

A 31-foot balloon in the shape of a cartoon timebomb was gradually inflated in an Irvine business park Wednesday, part of a test of a new campaign meant to call attention to global warming.

Though filled with air, the balloon, brain-child of EcoMotion president Ted Flanigan, is meant to represent an equivalent volume of carbon dioxide -- the gas emitted by human civilization that climate scientists overwhelmingly consider the main cause of climate change.

A man gets his photo taken with a 31-foot balloon in the parking lot at EcoMotion in Irvine on Wednesday. The balloon represents one ton of CO2 gas. The company was doing a test run for inflating the balloon and will use it as an educational tool in their "Save a Ton" campaign.

PAUL BERSEBACH, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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"In the United States, the average person emits 20 to 30 metric tons a year," said Flanigan, whose environmental consulting company conducts greenhouse gas inventories for cities and helps businesses set up solar power systems. "We're trying to take something that's completely invisible and make it understandable, especially for children."

Flanigan says his company will take the timebomb on the road, using it in school presentations and at other events as part of a "Save a Ton" campaign.

People could reduce the amount of carbon dioxide they generate, he said, by doing less driving -- cars are a major source -- using less electricity, and even using less water, which is moved around the state using electricity.

"Clever cities and clever individuals are reducing their footprint while maintaining their quality of life," he said. "This is not a treehugger message we're making here, though we support that. We realize that doesn't resonate with most Californians."

Instead, he said, the company wants to promote a practical ways to reduce carbon dioxide output.

The timebomb's next stop, he said, will be with 1,200 students in the Coachella Valley.

"We'll have the bomb lying on the ground," he said. "As we have the half-hour assembly, we'll turn it on so it rises and reaches its full proportion right in front of their eyes. Years later, they'll say, 'Remember when that thing came to our school?' We hope it has that kind of impact."