Fireworks to Go Up in Smoke: Aspen Nabs Award for Fourth of July Drone Show

Chamber Resort Association Wins PETA ‘Proggy’ Award for Celebrating the Holiday With Animal-Friendly, Wildfire-Proof Light Display

For Immediate Release:
April 18, 2019

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

A Proggy Award (“Proggy” is for “progress”) is on its way from PETA to the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, which is opting for a drone show rather than fireworks this Fourth of July because of concerns about wildfires. In a letter of congratulations sent this morning to the association’s president, PETA notes that drones offer a stunning visual show without the deafening booms that terrify companion animals, wildlife, and humans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and can even result in loss of life.

“Unlike old-fashioned fireworks, drones create dazzling displays in the sky without starting wildfires, polluting the environment, or terrifying animals and humans with PTSD,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is honoring the Aspen Chamber Resort Association for setting a fine example for other Fourth of July event organizers to follow.”

Forest fires kill wildlife and destroy their habitats and food sources, and following conventional fireworks displays, animal shelters typically see an increase in the number of lost dogs, many of whom panic and break loose from leashes or jump over fences or even through glass windows in an attempt to get away from the terrifying sounds. Loud displays can also cause deer and other wild animals to flee onto roads, where they’re at risk of being injured or killed by vehicles.

PETA’s Proggy Awards recognize animal-friendly achievements in commerce and culture. The Aspen Chamber Resort Association will receive a framed certificate and delicious vegan chocolates.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.