Save the Sound, a 51-year-old environmental action organization based in Connecticut and New York, and its president, Leah Lopez Schmalz, have been honored as a 2024 National Medalist by The Garden Club of America.
It is the highest honor bestowed upon individuals and organizations by the GCA for distinguished achievements in areas related to its purpose.
— a compilation of announcements from Save the Sound and the GCA
Save the Sound will receive the Cynthia Pratt Laughlin Medal, awarded for outstanding achievement in environmental protection and the maintenance of quality of life.
“The breadth and depth of its toolkit sets Save the Sound apart from other regional nonprofits. It successfully uses a combination of legislative advocacy, legal action, engineering, and scientific environmental monitoring as well as hands-on volunteer and educational efforts to protect this important region,” the GCA announcement said.
Photo from the Save the Sound website
The Garden Club of America will present the medals at its 111th annual meeting in April in Hartford.
Save the Sound “does not work alone,” the GCA announcement said. “It takes a collaborative approach working alongside other environmental and volunteer organizations to restore and protect the area’s rivers, shorelines, wetlands, forests, air, and water.”
“We are honored for our work to be recognized by The Garden Club of America, whose commitment to caring for our communities and protecting our environment has endured for more than a century,” said Schmalz, who became president of Save the Sound in October 2022 after spending more than 20 years with the organization.
“At Save the Sound, we strive towards these same goals — bringing people together in the places they cherish and helping them harness their passion to protect their backyard. […]
Some of Save the Sound’s important activities, Schmalz said, include data-driven advocacy, enforcing the Clean Water Act, taking down dams that stop fish from migrating, building living shorelines to protect neighborhoods, conserving open space to engaging younger generations as stewards of the Sound.
“Our team is singularly focused on protecting our little piece of the planet,” Schmalz said.
— Here are the Garden Club of America’s 10 National Medalists.
About the Two Organizations
Founded in 1913, the Garden Club of America is a nonpartisan issue-oriented advocate for a beautiful, healthy planet. The national nonprofit organization works in the areas of horticulture, conservation, creative arts, historic preservation, and environmental protection. GCA member clubs consist of almost 18,000 members.
The mission of Save the Sound is to protect and improve the land, air, and water of Connecticut and the Long Island Sound region of New York. It uses legal and scientific expertise and volunteer efforts to benefit the environment.