Who Are We? & Why Do We Care?
We are a dedicated group of local citizens who want to change how Montgomery County, Maryland prevents and manages all forms of waste, increase recycling and composting and end needless burning of “what’s left.” Montgomery County generated over 1 million tons of waste in 2021. 577,000 tons from businesses, households, apartments, HOAs, and governments were sent to an incinerator located in Dickerson.
Burning waste results in a range of toxic emissions including carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas; dioxins and furans; particulate matter, lead, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides.
For every 500 tons of waste burned, 100 tons of toxic ash are created and must be landfilled. Substantial portions of this “waste” consists of materials that can be recycled, like paper, metals, plastic and clothing.
About 20% is food/organic material that can be composted and made into healthy soil. Reusable construction and demolition materials are also needlessly burned.
Amy Maron, M.P.P. is an independent public policy professional, analyst, and program evaluator, specializing in environmental issues. Her positions included program evaluator with the U.S. Government Accountability Office, legislative assistant and projects director for U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (NJ), and environmental advocacy and consulting for several national environmental NGOs. She serves on the Montgomery County Solid Waste Advisory Committee and the Dickerson Area Facilities Implementation Group and was the volunteer Zero Waste Lead for the Sierra Club – Montgomery County Group from 2019-2022.
Susan Eisendrath, M.P.H. is an Environmental Education and Program Consultant, Master Gardener and Master Composter. Susan has provided the composting training for Montgomery County Master Gardeners and she is currently part of a team creating a Master Composter Training Program and she is assisting with the creation of the Composting Education Hub at the Agriculture History Farm in Derwood. She is an urban organic food grower and advocates for increasing local food production and access through her work with the Climate Coalition Montgomery County Food Resilience Working Group. She is the former co-chair of the Montgomery County Food Council (FC) Environmental Impact Working Group and a former member of the FC Racial Equity Committee and she served on the County Sierra Club Executive Committee for two terms. She’s a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, where she worked on agricultural projects in Tanzania and also consulted for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
Carrie Maslen is committed to leaving the world a better place for future generations. Carrie served as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and a guest lecturer at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, and she also lectures at her alma mater, Catholic University, where she holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and serves on the Board of Visitors for the School of Engineering. After a leadership career in high tech for three industry stalwarts, Carrie continues to advocate for solutions that make communities healthier and greener.
Lauren Greenberger, M.H.Sc. is vice president of the Sugarloaf Citizens’ Association in Dickerson, founded in 1973 with the mission to protect and preserve the 93,000-acre agriculture reserve for farming, open space, land conservation, and rural life. She has served on the board since 2014 and was president from 2017 to 2020. She also serves on the Dickerson Area Facilities Implementation Group and is a Master Gardener with the University of Maryland Agriculture Extension Service. As part of the Peace Corps, Lauren previously worked on public health initiatives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as projects for USAID, CDC and WHO.
Deborah Cohn, Esq., is a local environmental and climate change advocate working with numerous state and local groups to reduce energy demand and dependence on fossil fuels while encouraging development of a non-combustion based electricity supply. She has contributed to long-range plans to eliminate incineration and pursue zero waste solutions.
Daniela is specialized in Spanish, English and French content and training to reach Zero Waste, improve Food Systems and expand Regenerative Agriculture practices. She has served as a planner for strategic initiatives at Austin Resource Recovery, as the Zero Waste Coordinator for the University of Texas at Austin, as a freelance translator, sustainability consultant and educator for SOLURSO, Sustainable Urban Solutions, and as a translator and trainer for Regenerative Solutions.
Kelly is deeply involved in environmental policy, zero waste, food waste and recycling. After receiving her Bachelor of Science from UC San Diego, her Doctor of Law and Master of Science from Indiana University Bloomington, Kelly worked as an Environmental Protection Specialist for the EPA. Kelly has also served on the Montgomery County Solid Waste Advisory Committee, including as Chairperson, and as Co-Chair for the Montgomery County Food Council’s Environmental Impact Working Group.