Nathan Paris is a high school senior from California and the founder of Keep It Closed, a campaign focused on cutting energy waste from businesses that leave their doors open while running heating or air conditioning.

The idea started pretty simply. While walking through a local outdoor mall, Nathan noticed just how many stores were pumping out AC into the atmosphere with their wide open doors. It felt wasteful and honestly, a little frustrating. So, he started looking into whether anyone had tried to fix this. Turns out, cities like New York and Washington, D.C. already had laws in place. Even the UK and Spain had discussed similar efforts. That research sparked a serious question: why not California?

So, he decided to do something. Since his launch of Keep It Closed, he has written a policy report justifying the issue, has created flyers for businesses to display their support, and has built a website for awareness. He was also behind a petition featuring over 1,600 verified signatures. 

He is using advocacy and education to raise awareness about the problem and to encourage both businesses and lawmakers to take realistic steps to cut energy waste. He hopes to garner enough public and political support to pass a law requiring large businesses to keep their doors closed whenever HVAC systems are running.

Looking forward, he hopes to grow the campaign and build a team of advocates nationwide who care about practical, everyday ways to reduce energy waste. With the end goal being to make it easier for more people, and businesses, to keep it closed.

For inquiries, you can reach him through the Contact Us page on the website.