Julia Rial named DNREC’s Young Environmentalist of the Year

At the Delaware State Fair in Harrington, Gov. John Carney and Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Shawn M. Garvin recently recognized Julia Rial of Lewes as DNREC’s High School Young Environmentalist of the Year. 

Rial, age 18, of Lewes, has planned beach cleanups in Sussex County, organized tree plantings and made videos at James Farm Ecological Preserve in Ocean View. She founded the Delaware Youth Chapter of Extinction Rebellion with her friend Jade Carter to work in her community on environmental issues and sustainability. In February, to benefit the Shepherd’s Office in Georgetown, an organization that helps homeless and needy people, Julia and Jade gathered a dozen volunteers and organized a sustainable free market that collected five truckloads of usable goods, keeping the items out of landfills; the event also included hot lunches for 100 needy people donated by local businesses.