VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Rex Lemmon wants to change the environment at Cox High School in Virginia Beach, and the change he wants to see starts right outside the school.
The 17-year-old senior is encouraging his classmates to turn off their cars while parked.
"It's really up to us to take responsibility for our actions and say that we're not going to be complacent," said Lemmon, who worked with the school's Environmental Club to start an anti-idling campaign last year.
The idea came after Lemmon noticed a growing number of idling cars in the school parking lots as students socialized before class.
"Ten minutes idling produces a pound of carbon dioxide," Lemmon said. "Climate change is a serious issue that we don't think about too often, and I wanted to get the message across to more people."
That led to the creation of parking lot and road signs, hallway fliers, and public service announcements to inform students of the potential consequences of their actions.
"We sat with the principal [of Cox High School] and he filmed, like, a minute-long endorsement of the campaign," Lemmon said. "This is serious. We want people to be aware of their environment because it is a big issue... and we need that good role model for our actions."
Lemmon hopes his mission to protect the environment reaches beyond Cox and into the surrounding communities.
While turning off a parked car's engine may seem like a small effort, Lemmon said more people must do their part in the fight against climate change.
"Every individual action matters, and it all adds up to a big, positive difference," Lemmon said.