Eco hero award

Students celebrate Earth Day

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY — If anyone is deserving of an environmental award, Dick Riseling is. He put up a windmill on his farm long before it was fashionable and installed solar panels, too.

He also founded the Sullivan Alliance for Sustainable Development, an organization that helps farmers, residents and municipalities save energy and go green. And more recently, he has become Sullivan County’s green guru, guiding public officials about how to become more sustainable and reduce the county’s carbon footprint.

The students of the Monticello High School Eco Club hosted a celebration for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22 with a tree planting ceremony, which was dedicated to Riseling. The club also presented him with its first Eco Hero Award.

The students lauded Riseling for his fervent commitment to renewable energy and environmental betterment and his 30-year struggle to promote clean energy.