Met School Student Wins Aquidneck Land Trust Leadership Award

Riley Greene of the Paul W. Crowley East Bay Met Center, the Met School, is $1,000 richer. At the same time, the community is enriched by his "extraordinary commitment and dedication to environmental issues on Aquidneck Island."

That's the word from the Aquidneck Land Trust, who announced Greene as the winner of their 2014 Environmental Leadership Award.

Riley was presented with this $1,000 merit award after being selected from a panel of judges who had the difficult task of choosing between five qualified applicants who demonstrated their initiative, community involvement and provided recommendations from faculty members. 

Of the five exceptionally qualified high school seniors who were nominated, Riley was chosen because of his incredible focus and commitment to sustainable environmental practices. He has interned at several local farms: Simmons Organic farm, where he worked with the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program; historic Watson Farm, where he focused on promoting locally grown and raised products; and, most recently, at Jamestown Community Farm, where he practices farming methods that recognize, and minimize impact on, the natural environment. 

Additionally, Riley is involved in the Met School's Green Team program. His concentration on recycling led him to develop a project on composting from which he received his Master Composter certification. He is also currently enrolled in URI's Master Gardner program. Riley plans to pursue a degree in environmental studies at the University of Rhode Island in order to continue supporting environmental practices that protect the local community.

ALT Executive Director Charles B. "Chuck" Allott attended the Met School's awards ceremony to present Riley with the award. "As I wrote in the book on land conservation that ALT also gave to Riley, he typifies the type of environmental vision we need to see in his generation."

"It is our hope that this scholarship program will help develop and encourage future stewards of our beautiful island home," the Land Trust said in a release.

ALT's time-sensitive mission is to conserve Aquidneck Island's open spaces and natural character for the lasting benefit of our community. The organization has conserved 2444.39  acres on 71 properties across Aquidneck Island since its founding in 1990. ALT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and the first land trust in Rhode Island to have received national accreditation.  

For more information, visit www.AquidneckLandTrust.org