Sierra Club-Executive Director Michael Brune and Sierra Club President Aaron Mair present
Rep. Mary Mushinsky with the 2015 Distinguished Service Award at the annual awards ceremony
held recently in San Francisco. (photo courtesy of Sierra Club)
September 25, 2015
Sierra Club-Executive Director Michael Brune and Sierra Club President Aaron Mair present
Rep. Mary Mushinsky with the 2015 Distinguished Service Award at the annual awards ceremony
held recently in San Francisco. (photo courtesy of Sierra Club)
Connecticut State Rep. Mary Mushinsky (D-Wallingford) is one of two recipients of the national Sierra Club’s 2015 Distinguished Service Award, which honors persons in public service for long-term commitment to conservation.
The awards committee commented, “Under Mary’s leadership, Connecticut became the first state in the country to pass legislation aimed at reducing the possibility of global warming.” The awards committee also praised Mushinsky’s long history of writing environmental legislation for Connecticut and her years of advocacy on behalf of the Quinnipiac River.
Dalton McGuinty, the 24th Premier of Ontario, Canada, is the other recipient of the 2015 Distinguished Service Award, one of 18 categories of named awards by the national environmental organization. The awards committee said that under Premier McGuinty’s leadership, Ontario shut down all its coal-fired power plants and passed the Ontario Green Energy Act, which transformed Ontario into a leader in renewable energy.
The Sierra Club awards committee selected 24 leaders from around the world for their annual awards ceremony, held Sept. 12 at the Marines Memorial Club in San Francisco. The Connecticut chapter endorsed Mushinsky’s nomination with 60 letters of recommendation from environmental leaders and government officials. Mushinsky said, “I do this work for the sheer love of it. But it is nice to be honored by this long-standing and respected environmental advocacy group.”