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Trinidad Resident Receives National Sierra Club Award SAN FRANCISCO – Sept. 24, 1999 – Sarasota resident Jono Miller was among those receiving national awards from the Sierra Club this year. Miller received a Special Service Award from the organization for his many years of conservation work in Sarasota County. His accomplishments include helping persuade citizens of the county to vote to raise property taxes to buy environmentally sensitive lands, and defeating a proposal by Florida Power and Light to burn a new emulsion fuel, Orimulsion, in the area. He also has coordinated several local workshops including a Greenways Workshop and a forum on the Economics and Ecological Values of Grazing Lands. "Jono puts his heart and soul into preserving the special places that remain in the state of Florida," said Arlene Sweeting, chair of the Manatee-Sarasota Sierra Club. "He is truly an inspiration to all of us who work with him." Miller served as the first chairperson of the Manatee-Sarasota Group of the Sierra Club and has subsequently held many different positions in the group, including conservation chair, secretary and membership chair. He also has served on the Executive Committee of the Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club. Miller has previously received several awards for his work, including the Grassroots Leadership Award from the Florida Chapter of the Nature Conservancy in 1998. Miller and his wife, Julie, have served as co-directors of the Environmental Studies Program at the University of South Florida’s New College since 1981. As coordinators, they teach, assist students with research and lead field trips into the wild. Over the past 18 years, their program has turned out many effective environmentalists. "In both his personal life and his professional life, Jono embodies the founding principles of the Sierra Club," Sweeting said. The Sierra Club, which was founded in 1892 by John Muir, is the country’s oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization. It currently has nearly 600,000 members. For more information on the Manatee-Sarasota Group of the Sierra Club, write to them at P.O. Box 3485, Sarasota FL 34230 or call 925-9000. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club |
