Floor SpeechCeremonial2026-05-12

HONORING STEPHEN RITZ

EconomyTaxesEnvironmentEducationHousing

Context

On 2026-05-12, Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING STEPHEN RITZ" in the House.

Full Text

HONORING STEPHEN RITZ

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 80 (Tuesday, May 12, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 12, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E429] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING STEPHEN RITZ ______ HON. RITCHIE TORRES of new york in the house of representatives Tuesday, May 12, 2026 Mr. TORRES of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an extraordinary educator, innovator, and community leader from the Bronx: Stephen Ritz, founder of Green Bronx Machine. Born and raised in the Bronx, Stephen Ritz has transformed lives through the power of education, sustainability, and hope. What began as a single classroom initiative in the South Bronx has grown into a global movement, one that has reached more than 375,000 students across six continents and trained over 11,000 educators worldwide. Green Bronx Machine was named by Fast Company as Most Innovative Company in 2024. Known as ``America's favorite teacher,'' Stephen created the first edible classroom in the world, and he and his students have grown more than 375,000 pounds of fresh vegetables right in the South Bronx, proving that classrooms can cultivate not only food, but opportunity, health, and dignity. His students, hailed as ``The Miracle in the Bronx,'' have earned national STEM championships, seven Anthem Awards, and the first Emmy Award in New York City Department of Education history. They have been celebrated at the Obama White House three times and featured on the cover of TIME for Kids. Through Green Bronx Machine, Stephen has woven together academic achievement, food justice, environmental stewardship, and economic empowerment, helping create more than 2,200 living wage jobs in New York City alone. He has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ending Hunger in America and presented at the United Nations and World Business Forum, carrying the spirit of the Bronx onto the global stage with unmatched passion, compassion, and energy. Stephen has also been recognized as a CNN COVID Food Hero, a 2023 Global Food Hero, a 2024 Food Waste Warrior by Food Tank, and most recently was awarded the 2025 Global Food Changemaker Prize in Social Impact. For over a decade, he has served as Executive Director of the National Health, Wellness, and Learning Center at Community School 55 as an unpaid, full-time volunteer. But perhaps what speaks loudest about Stephen Ritz is not the awards or the accolades: it is the life he lives every single day. He still calls the Bronx home, where he tends the most productive school garden per square foot in New York City, located in the heart of public housing. He raises chickens and exotic koi fish, including what is believed to be the largest captive goldfish in the Bronx. He shows up in his signature green shoes, cheese-hat in tow, and has taken over two million photos with children and celebrities alike, because to Stephen, every person he meets is worth celebrating. Today, we celebrate Stephen Ritz not only for his remarkable achievements, but for his unwavering belief that every child can grow, thrive, and succeed. The Bronx is proud to call him one of our own. ____________________

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HONORING STEPHEN RITZ Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 80 (Tuesday, May 12, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 12, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E429] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING STEPHEN RITZ ______ HON. RITCHIE TORRES of new york in the house of representatives Tuesday, May 12, 2026 Mr. TORRES of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an extraordinary educator, innovator, and community leader from the Bronx: Stephen Ritz, founder of Green Bronx Machine. Born and raised in the Bronx, Stephen Ritz has transformed lives through the power of education, sustainability, and hope. What began as a single classroom initiative in the South Bronx has grown into a global movement, one that has reached more than 375,000 students across six continents and trained over 11,000 educators worldwide. Green Bronx Machine was named by Fast Company as Most Innovative Company in 2024. Known as ``America's favorite teacher,'' Stephen created the first edible classroom in the world, and he and his students have grown more than 375,000 pounds of fresh vegetables right in the South Bronx, proving that classrooms can cultivate not only food, but opportunity, health, and dignity. His students, hailed as ``The Miracle in the Bronx,'' have earned national STEM championships, seven Anthem Awards, and the first Emmy Award in New York City Department of Education history. They have been celebrated at the Obama White House three times and featured on the cover of TIME for Kids. Through Green Bronx Machine, Stephen has woven together academic achievement, food justice, environmental stewardship, and economic empowerment, helping create more than 2,200 living wage jobs in New York City alone. He has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ending Hunger in America and presented at the United Nations and World Business Forum, carrying the spirit of the Bronx onto the global stage with unmatched passion, compassion, and energy. Stephen has also been recognized as a CNN COVID Food Hero, a 2023 Global Food Hero, a 2024 Food Waste Warrior by Food Tank, and most recently was awarded the 2025 Global Food Changemaker Prize in Social Impact. For over a decade, he has served as Executive Director of the National Health, Wellness, and Learning Center at Community School 55 as an unpaid, full-time volunteer. But perhaps what speaks loudest about Stephen Ritz is not the awards or the accolades: it is the life he lives every single day. He still calls the Bronx home, where he tends the most productive school garden per square foot in New York City, located in the heart of public housing. He raises chickens and exotic koi fish, including what is believed to be the largest captive goldfish in the Bronx. He shows up in his signature green shoes, cheese-hat in tow, and has taken over two million photos with children and celebrities alike, because to Stephen, every person he meets is worth celebrating. Today, we celebrate Stephen Ritz not only for his remarkable achievements, but for his unwavering belief that every child can grow, thrive, and succeed. The Bronx is proud to call him one of our own. ____________________