Memorial Day Lantern Numbers Are In
06/07/2010
Flickr: MJTR ('･ω･)
Last week, I reported that those who organized the Memorial Day tradition of floating lanterns out to sea went to great lengths to ensure that the lanterns don't get far and don't have a chance to contribute to the epidemic of marine debris.
Today, a spokeswoman for the organizers got back to me with the final tally:
Of 900 wooden lanterns, all 900 are present and accounted for.
Of 95 "surf" lanterns, all 95 are present and accounted for.
Of 1,358 "sponge" lanterns — the ones that are distributed to the public — all but three are present and accounted for.
Together, that means that 2,350 of 2,353 lanterns were recovered by organizers, Sonja Swenson, a public relations specialist for the firm Stryker, Weiner and Yokota, told me after speaking with the Shinnyo-en Buddhist church.
