The 2022 Mike Maloney Environmental Service Award goes to Mary Abe for Outstanding Work for Climate Resilience. Since 2005, the Prince George’s Sierra Club Group annually honors a county resident for outstanding environmental service. The award is named after the late Walter “Mike” Maloney, Jr. (1930-2001), a civic activist, County Council member, and attorney dedicated to the rights and the quality of life of everyday people.

The development of a Climate Action Plan has been a major undertaking for environmental stewardship in Prince George's County during the past two years. As staff for the County's Climate Action Commission, Ms. Abe worked tirelessly on that effort, bringing together the ideas of diverse Commissioners, consultants, colleagues, and county residents to develop a comprehensive plan for decreasing greenhouse gases and increasing climate resilience. Prior to joining the Department of the Environment to work on the Climate Action Plan, her local work on storm water management projects and ecosystem restoration showed her commitment to taking a nature-based approach to addressing environmental challenges. The 2022 Maloney Environmental Service Award honors Mary for her persistent efforts to decrease climate impacts on our communities and make Prince George's County more resilient as climate change unfolds around us. The award will be presented at the Prince George's County Sierra Club Summer Picnic at Cosca Regional Park on Saturday, July 9, 1-4 PM.

In recommending Mary for this award, here’s what co-worker Dawn Hawkins-Nixon had to say: “Mary is an environmental steward who works tirelessly to preserve and protect the natural environment.  She holds strong reverence for the natural world and commits to taking a nature-based approach to addressing environmental challenges.  She often looks to protection and expansion of green space to define a path forward to improving environmental health as well as public health.  In the capacity of staff to the Prince George's County Climate Action Commission from September 2020 through January 2022, Mary oversaw the production of the Commission's Draft Climate Action Plan. She was truly instrumental in the development of this plan which lays out strategies to reduce the County's greenhouse gas emissions and to prepare for a climate resilient future.”
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The 2021 MIKE MALONEY ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE AWARD was awarded to Sacoby Wilson, PhD, for his outstanding work for Environmental Justice. As a member of the faculty of the Department of Environmental Health in the University of Maryland School of Public Health in College Park, Professor Wilson works tirelessly for the cause of Environmental Justice through teaching, writing, publishing a journal, and convening public health professionals to draw attention to environmental inequities that lead to health disparities. We can’t create a just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy without simultaneously addressing systemic racism and environmental injustice. Dr. Wilson’s work at the Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health Lab and his contributions to the Prince George’s County Environmental Justice Commission Report have laid a foundation for systemic change for a more just and sustainable future. Read More

The Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club honored Del. James W. Hubbard of Bowie for his lifetime environmental leadership.  Hubbard, who is retiring following a 22-year presence in the state legislature, initiated a broad spectrum of legislation that became law that improved Maryland’s air and water, and the health of its citizens.  more