pollution

Jacksonville should protect the oldest fishing village in mayport and not give in to the collusion of the cruise ship industry and jaxport attempt to destroy a working waterfront. cruise ships polute the environment and rick ferrin of jaxport refusal to use  shore power to reduce ship emissions that been proven to kill over 60,000 a year and the damage to the oceans ego system,and the fact that plans for more than one cruise ship should raise red flags especially when we destroy a fishing industry.Message From Commissioner Charles H. Bronson
Dear Friend:
Seafood is an important part of our state's heritage and economy. Florida is a
source of excellent seafood, aquaculture and marine life products. Florida's
fishermen harvest 98 different types of seafood on a commercial scale with 2005
cash receipts totaling more than $165 million. Florida aquaculture producers
farm a vast array of products with sales totaling $75 million in 2005. Tropical
fish, aquatic plants and clams are the top three aquaculture operations. Florida
seafood and aquaculture has an economic impact estimated at more than $1.3
billion annually.
As Commissioner of Agriculture, it's my job to help promote Florida seafood,
aquaculture and agricultural products and expand markets for our state's
fishermen and growers. This is increasingly important in today's competitive
global economy.
Key to our marketing effort is the Florida Agricultural Promotional Campaign, or
FAPC. This program, established by the Florida Legislature in 1990, is a joint
venture between the private sector and the Florida Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services. The FAPC membership is made up of more than 3,700 fishermen,
farmers, shippers, distributors, retailers and allied members.
Members are entitled to use the distinctive "Fresh from Florida" logo to
identify and promote their Florida-produced and harvested products to consumers
in domestic and foreign markets. The logo appears in television and print
campaigns, on packaging and point-of-purchase materials, and is prominently
displayed in the Department's exhibits at trade missions and events.
Each year, our Department's marketing representatives work with retail
supermarket executives to further the efforts of the FAPC and secure and create
new markets for Florida producers, fishermen, shippers and wholesalers of
Florida products.
In addition, our marketing reps conduct foreign trade missions to help to
increase exports of Florida products. They also use other trade events to
showcase Florida products to buyers from around the world.
If you are involved in any aspect of Florida seafood, aquaculture or
agriculture, I encourage you to join the FAPC.
Thank you for visiting Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing web site here
atwww.FL-Seafood.com. I hope you find this site useful. And please remember to
look for the "Fresh from Florida" label.
 Sincerely,CHARLES H. BRONSON

Those who go down to the sea in ships – or go to see them in port – may soon be not be able to breathe easier as they thought they would or at least in Jacksonville. Scientists have made the first measurements of ship emissions involving particles less than a millionth of a meter in size. They say it’s an important step in establishing and monitoring the effectiveness of air-pollution regulations for ships.

Until now, researchers in port cities have had a hard time figuring out what proportion of fine sulfate particles come from ships burning high-sulfur bunker oil, compared to the diesel trucks or trains that serve the cities. These fine particles are less than 1-millionth of a meter across. Once inhaled, these particles stay put, researchers say, constituting a potential public-health hazard.

You'd barely know it Jacksonville, but today is Earth Day. I started my morning by riding my bicycle to yoga class. I locked it next to the dumpster, which was filled to overflowing with recyclable paper, cardboard, aluminum cans and rotting food. I know that we have a recycling program (although a lot of people seem to ignore it), but what about a composting program? In San Francisco. the city picks up all compostable items in a separate container every week and guess what? They are approaching 75% recycling of so-called trash.San Francisco (and other cities) have also restricted the use of plastic bags at supermarkets and big box stores.