Bullsugar: Send us to Washington, D.C., to advocate for clean water throughout Florida

Talk may be cheap, but going to Washington, D.C., to do it isn't — even on a tight budget.

For its "12 Days of Christmas" wish, the environmental advocacy group Bullsugar.org is asking for help sending members to Washington to meet with federal lawmakers and, as spokesman Peter Girard said, "convince them to support legislation that stops toxic discharges."

Scroll down for links to all 12 Days of Christmas stories

The group formed during the "Lost Summer" of 2013, when toxic algae blooms caused by Lake Okeechobee discharges covered much of the St. Lucie River estuary in and around Stuart.

Since then, the group has expanded its focus to statewide water issues, put pressure on lawmakers, endorsed candidates and stumped for the #NowOrNeverglades Declaration, which advocates buying land south of Lake Okeechobee for water storage.

It's also gained a reputation for pugnacity, what a TCPalm.com editorial called a "bare-knuckled approach (that) eschewed politesse and seemed to epitomize the anger that gripped area residents" as conditions caused by blue-green algae blooms worsened.

Column:No bull — Bullsugar making big impact

Editorial: Bullsugar should be sweeter on transparency

Bullsugar wants to send representatives to meet with members of Congress and government agencies.

"Toxic blooms are a crisis in South Florida, and we can't wait 10 or 20 years or more to solve it," Girard said. "Our government can take steps now to protect people everywhere from being poisoned."

The group plans to ask Congress for legislation providing "protection for all people, everywhere in Florida, from health impacts of water management decisions," Girard said. "When the operations that govern South Florida's water were set, no one knew that discharges and the toxic blooms they carry and feed made people sick. Now that we know, the status quo is unacceptable."

Bullsugar wants to send one person on three separate two-night trips in January, February and March.

Each trip costs around $360, Girard said, including airfare ($195 round-trip from Palm Beach International Airport), lodging ($79 a night at Holiday Inn Express D.C. Northwest) and meals (free breakfast at the Holiday Inn, $6 for a Big Mac Value Meal with burger, sugar-free soda and fries).

"And (the cost of) a federal law to stop a government agency from poisoning dogs and children? Priceless," Girard said, alluding to the old American Express ads. "But also around a thousand bucks."

12 Days of Christmas

Who: Bullsugar
Wish: Money to send members on lobbying trips to Washington, D.C.
Cost: About $360 per trip
How to donate: Contact Kym Hurchalla at Bullsugar Alliance, 772-212-2939 or  khurchalla@bullsugar.org

Donate to other organizations

About this series

​Treasure Coast groups that research, protect and restore the Indian River Lagoon need more than holiday cheer to continue their missions of saving the waterway. Find out what they need — and how you can help them — as Treasure Coast Newspapers/TCPalm.com highlights a lagoon-friendly organization each day from Dec. 25 to Jan. 5, aka the 12 Days of Christmas. To see what organizations have asked for in previous stories, go to TCPalm.com/lagoon.