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His concept expands on the idea of a Mount Airy community garden, which would be a way to grow organic food in town while cutting down on transportation costs and pollution.

‘‘It’s so much more efficient than having to get it out of state,” Richards said.

His organization, Citizens for a Green Mount Airy, incorporates environmental education and initiatives, which still could include a community garden, in hopes of making the town ‘‘less susceptible to outside forces.”

‘‘It sounds like it could be apocalyptic, but it’s a real concern,” he said about oil dependence and what could result if the supply ends and a local agriculture structure is not in place.

‘‘Oil is finite, and it will run out someday,” Richards said. ‘‘It will be difficult to feed people.”

To counter this, Richards said the biggest objective of the group would be working to establish a local alternative energy source that ‘‘local people would be actively in charge of,” whether through windmills, solar energy or another form.

Creating a local food source, such as in the form of a community garden, is also important he said, adding that he thinks organic food — which is grown without pesticides and in the manner that farmers used prior to the industrial revolution — ‘‘tastes more pure.” Meat can also be organic if the animals are given organically grown feed.

He said the crop yield from such a small piece of land would not sustain Mount Airy’s population, but could serve as an example of how such a project could be successful and could lead to other gardens and programs.

Richards is not positive as to the exact nature of the projects the group would take on because he wants those decisions to be made by group members once it has been established. He anticipates holding regular meetings this summer to discuss and develop ideas that could include residents of all ages.

In his internship proposal, he includes conducting town energy audits to check for energy efficiency, creating a composting program, and looking into curbing light pollution as possible ideas the group could consider.

Though the group is not established yet, Richards is already taking action to help Mount Airy’s environment, gathering experiences that he can apply to the new group.

On Saturday, he was one of about 100 people who helped plant more than 600 trees in two town parks as part of a project to limit erosion and generally help restore the health of streams in the area. He also created a garden that demonstrated biodiversity principles for his Eagle Scout project.

He hopes to put about $1,300 from the school toward his organization, and is in the process of mobilizing the local community into becoming involved.

He said he expects building a network of people is going to be the ‘‘greatest challenge to overcome,” but he would ultimately like to see support from three local entities: residents, businesses and government and is seeking ‘‘anybody who cares about any environmental issue.”

To reach out to and gauge the level of concern and interest of the community he has corresponded with town commission members and considering the feedback they provide.

‘‘I’m very anxious to see how many young people he can draw in,” said Mount Airy Councilman Gary Nelson, who serves as the liaison to the Beautification Commission and the Parks and Recreation Board.

Nelson has been updating the council and residents on Richards’ progress at the monthly town council meetings, and did so again Monday evening.

He said he is ‘‘anxious to see how the Town Council and commissions can help” and is ‘‘very confident” that Richards’ idea could work in Mount Airy because it seems to coincide with the types of initiatives the town is interested in pursuing, such as the recent tree planting.

‘‘We’ll see what direction it takes,” Nelson said. ‘‘It could be something really neat.”