You gave these people your vote, now give them a piece of your mind

...and protect your mind. Tell them to force JEA to lower mercury emissions every time it raises rates. Here is the updated list after the May 15th election, it includes current council members, and council members who were recently elected but have yet to take office. Simply copy and paste addresses of those you want to email into your email program and tell them what you think. Or, an even easier option is below!
Mayor
John Peyton - jpeyton@coj.net
City Council
At Large Group 1
Ronnie Fussell - RonnieF@coj.net
At- Large Group 2
Jay Jabour -jay@jayforjax.com
Elaine Brown (incumbent, not running) - ElaineB@coj.net
At-Large Group 3
Lad Daniels (incumbent, not running)- LDaniels@coj.net
Stephen Joost - ?
At-Large Group 4
Kevin Hyde - KHyde@coj.net
At-Large Group 5
Glorious J. Johnson - GloriousJ@coj.net
District 1
Clay Yarborough (elected Mar 20) - sbclay@yahoo.com
Lake Ray (current) - LRay@coj.net
District 2
Bill Bishop (elected Mar 20) - bill@electbillbishop.com
Lynette Self (incumbent, not running) - LSelf@coj.net
District 3
Richard Clark - RClark@coj.net
District 4
Don Redman - donredman@bellsouth.net
Suzanne Jenkins (incumbent, not running) - SuzanneJ@coj.net
District 5
Art Shad - AShad@coj.net
District 6
Jack Webb - Jack@VoteJackWebb.com
Sharon Copeland (incumbent, not running) - SCopelan@coj.net
District 7
Dr. Johnny A. Gaffney - jag_gaffney@comcast.net
Pat Lockett-Felder (incumbent, not running) - PFelder@coj.net
District 8
E. Denise Lee (elected Mar 20) - EDLee0630@yahoo.com
Gwen Yates (incumbent, not running)- GYates@coj.net
District 9
Warren Anthony Jones - wjredcaps@bellsouth.net
District 10
Mia Jones- MJones@coj.net
District 11
Ray Holt - ray@rayholt4citycouncil.com
Warren Alvarez (incumbent, not running)- WAlvarez@coj.net
District 12
Daniel Davis - DDavis@coj.net
District 13
Arthur Graham - ArtG@coj.net
District 14
Michael Corrigan - Corrigan@coj.net
Dave Siebert - daveforcitycouncil14@yahoo.com

If you don't have time to craft your own email to candidates, here is a suggested note you can just copy and paste into your email. Of course, feel free to revise as you see best. Also, below the note you will find a list of all candidates' email addresses divided by commas. Simply copy and paste the entire list into the "To:" field of your email program.

Dear Candidate,
I am writing you to ask you to support the Mercury Falling initiative, which calls for JEA to lower mercury emissions by the same amount it raises rates. Duval County has the abysmal honor of ranking first in the state for emissions of mercury with 21% of Florida's total, according to a 2002 EPA Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). And this in a state ranked 11th in the country for mercury emissions (according to the Florida Public Interest Research Group.) Even worse, the report found that virtually all of our county's emissions were from JEA's St. Johns River Power Park and Northside Generating Station. JEA disputes this self-reported data as an overestimation. Even so, the numbers are huge, and how much have emissions grown in the past five years? According to Folioweekly, "in 2005, the last year for which data is available, JEA released 322 pounds of mercury into the air, enough to deliver the daily exposure limit of 300 micrograms of mercury a day to 486,666,666 people."

Mercury is considered harmful to all parts of the brain, especially young brains, and is known to cause attention deficits, memory and language impairment, autism, and low IQ. Exposure to high levels of mercury may cause loss of motor function and irreversible nerve and kidney damage. Mercury emissions may harm Jacksonville's economy in other ways as well. For example, Jacksonville is well known for the annual Kingfish Tournament, but state health officials recommend people never eat large kingfish because they contain so much mercury.

JEA is a public utility and its board of directors is appointed by the mayor and approved by the city council. That is why it is in your control to do something about this problem and pledge your support to the Mercury Falling initiative.

Thank you,

And here is a list of candidates' and current council members' emails you can post in the "To:" field of your email program...
jpeyton@coj.net, RonnieF@coj.net, jay@jayforjax.com, ElaineB@coj.net, LDaniels@coj.net, KHyde@coj.net, GloriousJ@coj.net, sbclay@yahoo.com, LRay@coj.net, bill@electbillbishop.com, LSelf@coj.net, RClark@coj.net, donredman@bellsouth.net, SuzanneJ@coj.net, AShad@coj.net, Jack@VoteJackWebb.com, SCopelan@coj.net, jag_gaffney@comcast.net, PFelder@coj.net, EDLee0630@yahoo.com, GYates@coj.net, wjredcaps@bellsouth.net, MJones@coj.net, ray@rayholt4citycouncil.com, WAlvarez@coj.net, DDavis@coj.net, ArtG@coj.net, Corrigan@coj.net, daveforcitycouncil14@yahoo.com

Email Exchange with Mayor John Peyton

It all started when Mercury Falling submitted an idea to the Mayor's "Great Ideas Grow Great Cities" program (which is, itself, a great idea). Here's what Mercury Falling posted...

Jacksonville has the highest emissions of mercury in the state of Florida, almost all of which comes from city-owned JEA, according to Florida Public Interest Research Group. Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin, especially to pregnant mothers and children, and could even hurt literacy efforts and school performance. The great idea is to get JEA to agree to lower mercury emissions by the same amount it raises rates. Necessity is the mother of invention, and this restriction on JEA is sure to lead to a cleaner, more efficient utility. Since JEA has no competition, city action is the only thing that will change our utility for the better. For more info, please visit mercuryfallingjax.blogspot.com

The mayor's reply:

Thank you for taking the time to share your great idea! As you may know, JEA is an independent entity not under my purview as mayor; however, by copy of this e-mail I have forwarded your suggestion to the attention of Mr. Jim Dickenson, managing director of JEA, for his consideration and review.

Again, thanks for writing; I hope you will consider contacting me with your suggestions in the future. Great ideas grow great cities and I sincerely appreciate your feedback!

Best,
John Peyton
Mayor

Mercury Falling's response:

Mr. Mayor,
Thank you for your reply. Do I have permission to post our e-mail exchange on Mercury Falling - mercuryfallingjax.blogspot.com?

Also, thank you for forwarding the idea to Mr. Dickenson. But I must say, to me it seems a little like passing the buck. Even though JEA is an independent entity, you, as mayor, appoint the Board of Directors. Also, JEA is community-owned (not a private, for-profit company), so I can't help but think that you have a large amount of leverage over its operations.

Great cities are run by great leaders. Up until now I think you have done a good job of running Jacksonville, but if we are to become a truly great city, and that's a bold statement, it will take committed leadership to improve our city on every level. Our state-leading mercury emissions, a black eye on our city, is one place where you truly can step in and make a difference. Please do. Just think of the impact. Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin to children, how does it affect test scores, literacy and education? It pollutes our waterways so we can't eat our fish, how does that hurt our economy - both for recreation and professional fishermen?

You can also visit mercuryfallingjax.blogspot.com to see what other cities are doing to become great cities - leaders in efficiency and cleanliness.

Thank you for your time,

And, just so you know that Mercury Falling is not trying to play a game of "gotcha" with any city official, here is Mayor Peyton's approval to post this exchange on this blog:

I appreciate your reply. All e-mail communication from my office is a matter of public record and you have my permission to post our exchange on your blog.

Again, thank you for weighing in on matters affecting our city.

Best,
John Peyton
Mayor

How many Senators does it take to change a lightbulb?

Traditional light bulbs are a 125-year-old technology and their useful life is coming to an end. A good thing, too. How much 1879-era technology do you still use? I'm guessing you didn't commute to work today on a horse, and you probably sent an email to a colleague on the West Coast instead of using Pony Express. So why are some people still using ancient incandescent bulbs?

Manufacturers and environmentalists are working on a nationwide energy-saving standard that, if enacted by Congress, would relegate incandescent light bulbs to history museums in about ten years and produce major cuts in the nation's electricity costs, according to The Wall Street Journal ("Households Would Need New Bulbs To Meet Lighting-Efficiency Rule"). An important positive side effect, especially in communities like ours that rely on coal-burning power plants, would be less mercury emissions. A few key points from the article...

• "The Senate Energy Committee estimates a shift from the standard tungsten filament incandescent bulb and other relatively inefficient forms of lighting would save $18 billion in electricity costs every year."
• Less need for electricity would mean less need to burn coal, which is how JEA generates almost all of its power. "Burning coal releases pollutants including carbon dioxide, which scientists think is accelerating climate change, and mercury, which can damage the nervous systems of small children."
• Of course, if you use efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) make sure you dispose of them properly. "...CFLs include a tiny amount of mercury that would require their disposal through recycling programs."

So just how much mercury emissions and cash could we save?

"Estimated savings for one year if all general-service incandescent lamps were replaced with energy-saving lights..."

Halogen energy saver - 1,600 lbs of mercury emissions saved, $4.9 billion electricity bill savings
CFL lamp - 4,500 lbs, $14 billion
LED, 50 lumens/watt - 4,300 lbs, $13 billion
LED, 100 lumens/watt - 5,300 lbs, $16 billion

Preconception notions

If you are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, and living in Jacksonville, pay special attention to the water you drink and be very careful about eating fish, especially anything caught locally. According to tasteforlife magazine ("For a Healthy Pregnancy"), "Also avoid potential toxins - lead, mercury, and pesticides - in the environment."

Since Jacksonville emits more mercury (from JEA's plants) than any other city in the state, Jacksonville moms-to-be have a special challenge. Mercury Falling is by no means a medical website, just saying do your homework and be safe out there.

Jacksonville grows, who benefits?

As we're getting closer to election time, you'll see every candidate claim it as part of their platform - growth. Sometimes disguised as smart growth or economic growth, but the questions must be asked, who does growth really benefit? Does it benefit the average citizen or just the developer?

The average citizen gets more traffic, less green space, more pollution from all that traffic and the need for JEA to burn more coal, and most pertinent to this blog, more mercury in our air and water as JEA burns more coal for all those news homes and buildings. So far, not seeming like a great deal for the average citizen.

Developers make more money, by getting to sell more new homes and offices, and pave more roads. So, its pretty easy to see who's behind this contstant need for growth at all costs, and who probably funds most election campaigns - the developers.

But here's a novel idea, what if we stopped encouraging growth? Or as Youngstown, Ohio is doing - a city that zigs where every one else zags, actually leveraging decreased population into a good thing. Below are a few excerpts from the Wall Street Journal article "As Its Populuation Declines, Youngstown Thinks Small: Rather Than Trying to Grow, Ohio City Plans More Open Space":

• "Unused streets and alleys eventually could be torn up and planted over, the city says. Abandoned buildings could be razed, leading to the creation of larger home lots with plenty of green space, and new parks."
• "'He (the mayor) envisions large blocks of green space throughout the city. The theme of the master plan is to make Youngstown clean and green,' he says."
• "City officials say there are many places where streets could ultimately be dug up, street lights taken down, and sidewalks removed in order to create green spaces where there were once densely settle blocks. While it doesn't have specifics yet, the city says it expects certain vacant land to be turned into parks or community gardens."

Is a bigger Jacksonville a better Jacksonville? According to Daniel Gilbert, a social scientist and author of the book "Stumbling on Happiness"..."But there's another way to get a sense of how you would feel in some future circumstance: other people's experience. For example, lots of people have won the lottery and put their happiness, or lack thereof, on public display. Rather than closing your eyes and imagining how wonderful it would be to win the lotto, you could find out how past winners actually feel. But we tend not to do that. Why? Because we all believe that we're unique and that other people's experiences are a poor guide to our own. But it turns out we're not nearly as unique as we think—at least when it comes to emotional responses to events."

So let's take a look at other people's experiences, what will the next phase of Jacksonville's growth, growth, growth machine look like. South Florida? Atlanta? Los Angeles? Basically, non-stop traffic, smog, and not enough drinking water ("Drought and development threaten our water supply") Do you really think that's a better Jacksonville?

And if you think the growth, growth, growth chorus will help you get a good price for your home when you sell, take a look around. How many homes are sitting for sale unsold in your neighborhood? How many new homes and condos are sitting unsold nearby? Do you really think you can compete with the developers dollars and incentives when it comes time to sell?

As a final note, here are a few words of wisdom from Joni Mitchell...
"Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum.
And they charged all the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

Hello sun, goodbye mercury

Hello everyone, my name is Alex Porges and I am an Ecopreneur w/ Citizenre, soon to be the nations largest solar power provider to homeowners. The way they do this is by renting the solar panels at kWh generated, which is based on your local utility rate. For instance, if your utility is 8.9cents/ kWh, then this is the rate Citizenre will charge you, but they will keep it at this rate for up to 25 years! And, their PhotoVoltaic Solar Panel system (they call it a ReNU) will provide enough electricity to power your whole house. So, if you need 1000 kWh/ month, they'll set you up w/ a system that will give it to you. Sounds great right?

The only thing that you need to put down, not now but when the panels are ready, is a security deposit starting at $500 (for a 5kW system). This security deposit is put into a T-Bond that you get back w/ interest at the end of your term. Two other great things about Citizenre is that: 1) they are asking for no money to reserve your system right now and 2) you get the rate for whenever you reserve your system. That means that if you sign up today, you get today's rate, which applies to the time that the panels are finally installed. That could mean that when your panels are installed, your rate actually goes down.

Now you say: 'Well what about the environmental impact? How will my carbon footprint change by going solar?' That is a very good question. I have gathered information from the EPA about the pollution emitted per kWh from a coal plant. Nuclear is a different story, but since over 50% of our energy is produced via coal, it is of major concern.

For a typical 1000 kWh of electricity used in a month, 820 lbs of CO2 and 0.163 lbs of Mercury are put into the atmosphere. This translates to 9840 lbs (4.9 tons) of CO2 and 1.956 lbs. of Mercury annually (source: Iowa Waste Reduction Center). So, if you thought that the only polluting you were doing was from out of your tailpipe, you were wrong. And, here in Jacksonville, JEA is rated as the worst Mercury polluter in the state, which is not good if you are having/raising children. So, if you switch to solar energy, not only are you Joining the Solution but you are doing very very good for the environment.

Alex
Affordable Solar Power for US Homeowners:
-No Equipment Investments
-No Maintenance Required=No Hassles
-A Fixed Electric Rate for 25 Years
www.jointhesolution.com/porges37mer

LEED, follow, or get out of the way

Many local U.S. governments are using a new building code that adheres to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards set out by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to Real Estate Portfolio magazine. The article, entitled "Growing Green," goes on to say..."What is happening across the market is that municipalities are realizing that there are measuring sticks, such as LEED, that they can use to evaluate how they are doing environmentally," says Stuart Brodsky, national program manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

A major aspect of achieving LEED certification is energy efficiency, so more LEED-certified buildings in Jacksonville could have a huge impact in three ways...

1. Jacksonville is a fast-growing city with many, many new buildings added every year. These buildings will need electricity for possibly hundreds of years after they are built. The more efficient they are, the less electricity JEA will have to produce which means...
2. JEA emits the most toxic mercury in Florida. Less need for electricity means less need for JEA to emit mercury that could harm pregnant women and children and make local fish poisonous to eat. Less need for electricity means JEA might not have to build the new, hugely toxic coal plant it is planning for Taylor County. Which means JEA might not have to raise our bills so much to pay for more capacity. Which means...
3. More money in your wallet and in the local economy. And since businesses in LEED buildings won't have to pay as much for electricity, they won't have to charge you as much for their products, they can pay their employees more, and Jacksonville would be a more competitive place to do business. And residents of LEED buildings wouldn't have to pay as much for electricity either.

So what is Jacksonville doing to ensure more LEED buildings in our city. As far as this blog can tell, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. (If someone from the city knows different, please email mercuryfallingjaxATyahoo.com) What is the rest of the country doing? Here's a small sampling from Real Estate Portfolio magazine:

• Washington, D.C.'s Green Building Act of 2006 requires that commercial developments larger than 50,000 square feet meet LEED standards for new and renovated buildings starting Jan. 1, 2012.
• Chatham County, Georgia provides tax incentives for LEED certification.
• San Mateo, Alameda, and Pasadena counties in California passed LEED initiatives and adopted green building policies
• Boston requires all major new and rehabilitation construction projects exceeding 50,000 square feet to meet LEED standards.
• Suffolk County, New York has passed LEED initiatives
• And once again proving that Jacksonville isn't where Florida begins to innovate...Sarasota County provides a 50% reduction in the cost of building permit fees for private contractors if they use LEED.