Rosenthal is co-founder of the Greenbelt Climate Action Network (GCAN) with Steve Kane and is currently its Program Coordinator, organizing monthly educational gatherings and spreading the word on climate change. She has been an important convener of people in Prince George’s County, reachin out to involve more of the community in key environmental issues at the local level – among them, composting, community solar, zero waste, and the county’s fracking ban – to address climate change and save the planet from the bottom up.
Since 2008, Rosenthal has worked with GCAN and other local activists to pilot different approaches to expanded composting in Greenbelt and surrounding communities; expanded composting county-wide could reduce the waste going to the landfill by nearly a third and reduce methane emissions as food scraps decompose. Her most recent project is working with Neighborhood Sun, a start-up enterprise, to implement Maryland’s new Community Solar Law throughout Prince George’s County.
The award was presented to Ms. Rosenthal on Sunday, June 12, at the annual Prince George’s Sierra Club picnic at Watkins Regional Park in Upper Marlboro.
Greenbelt Mayor Emmett Jordan congratulated Rosenthal on the prestigious award. “Lore has tirelessly worked to bring together people with shared interests around environmental and equity issues,” he said. “She is a ‘connector’ and a ‘wayfinder’, who has the ability to reach across geographical, economic and social divides to convene people around progressive ideas and projects. Greenbelt is very fortunate to have her as a resident and active citizen.”
The Prince George’s Sierra Club Group established the annual environmental service award in 2005 to honor the late Walter “Mike” Maloney—a civic activist, County Council member, and attorney dedicated to the rights and the quality-of-life of everyday people. Nominees are County residents who have shown excellence in local environmental leadership. Previous winners include Thomas Dernoga (2005), Fred Tutman (2006), Imani Kazana (2007), Carmen Anderson (2008), Paul Pinsky (2009), Kelly Canavan (2010), Bonnie Bick (2011), Dan Smith (2012), Vernon Wade (2013), Jacqueline Goodall (2014), Mary A. Lehman (2015) and Lore Rosenthal (2016).