Redefining Retirement
Dana Miller changes where fresh foods flourish
Dana Miller was born-and-raised in Denver. She’s an original, tried-and-true native. The travel bug bit her early in life. Dana dreamt of visiting exotic locales, overlooking brilliant vistas and living the jet-set lifestyle. In typical Dana Miller fashion, she did it. She became a United Airlines flight attendant and traveled the globe, dropping in on giant tortoises on the Galapagos Islands and peering out over the waving, sun-baked, endless savannas of Africa. Dana did that for 27 years, her travel bug gorging on the beauty of the world, until the opportunity to retire arose and she chose, finally ready, to settle back into one place. And of all the places in the world, she chose to return to Denver.
The thing is, Dana Miller isn’t the settle-in-and-watch-her-stories type of retiree. Even while she was with United she put her winning smile and positive energy to work with various volunteer organizations, including the Pegasus Project. So when she settled back in Denver, and she began studying environmental issues, there was no stopping Dana Miller. She helped found Transition Denver, a new edition of the world-wide Transition Movement. And she became the co-director of Grow Local Colorado. With those two moves, this bright, electric woman started tackling the future of energy and the future of food. She redefines “retirement.”
Dana's goal is to create sustainable food solutions for an expanding, population-exploding world. Dana knows we have the power to lessen our impact on the world. She also knows that it's a lot easier than most of us think. Most importantly, though, Dana Miller knows how to infuse saving the planet, changing the way we think about food, and creating a sustainable society with a whole mess of fun.
Awards and Honors
- Nov. 22, 2008 Denver’s 150 Unsung Heroes, in celebration of Denvers 150th anniversary
Peas in a Pod (a shared story with Barbara Masoner)
Abbott and Costello. Venus and Serena. Peanut Butter and Jelly. Milk and Cookies. Simon and Garfunkel. Batman and Robin. When you think of famous duos, these names spring to mind. But imagine a world wherein the last two pairs mentioned above are inaccurate because there exists a duo in which there is no weak link, no lesser partner. Instead, we’d have Simon and Simon (both Paul Simon’s, though, not the 1980’s action television show), or Batman and Batman. Imagine that. Two Paul Simons. Two Batmans. Or is it Batmen? There would have been decades of songs as good as “A Hazy Shade of Winter” without a feuding Garfunkel. There could have been twice as much brooding, growling, Batmobile justice (and none of the whining) with a pair of Caped Crusaders. Well, fear not, because this world exists. Dana Miller and Barbara Masoner are a new kind of dynamic duo, but you won’t catch them caught up in a looping string of puns (though they do have exceptional comedic timing). No no, Dana and Barbara are Denver’s Terrific Twosome of urban gardening.
Together, Dana and Barbara lead the charge to use urban lands in Denver for more than just looking at. They hope to one day turn every empty dirt lot and each city park flowerbed into a place where food grows and flourishes, ready to go harvest-to-table for farmer’s market shoppers, foodies and Denver’s populations with the greatest need. It is their shared philosophy and their shared passion. They have an incredible love for their home city. You can see a twinkle in their eyes, and you can feel the warmth emanating from their hearts as they talk about Denver. And you can tell right away that neither of them is a Garfunkel, or an Oates, or a Robin because they have talent to spare.
LINK: GROW LOCAL COLORADO