A high school student plans to use the location-based Pokémon Go to rally support for a Clean Energy protest march in Philadelphia on Sunday.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- A lot of inventions and creations are modified and used beyond their original intention.
Well, it appears Pokemon Go will be the engine a high school student will use to rally troops and generate buzz for a protest march for clean energy in Philadelphia on Sunday, just a day before the City holds the 2016 Democratic National Convention, according to a statement from the New Jersey regional office for the Food & Water Watch, an international environmental advocacy group.
How will it work? Well, Carlton Reese, a high school student and Highland Park resident, plans to use Pokemon Go's "Lure Module" feature, which attracts fellow nearby Pokemon trainers by attracting more Pokemon to a given location. The location is made available to nearby players through the game's location-based map.
Dubbed the "March for a Clean Energy Revolution" -- organized by Americans Against Fracking and endorsed by more than 1,000 groups nationwide -- it "calls for a ban on tracking and a swift transition to clean energy," according to the statement.
Carlton, the statement said, plans to "drop a Pokemon Lure Mode" at the start of the march at Philadelphia City Hall while dropping more along the route of the march and its finish at Independence Hall.
"People my age understand the threat posed by climate change, and we know that protecting the environment protects people," said Carlton in the statement. "One way we can do that is by saying no to fracking, which harms water, air and people. "
The march will begin at City Hall at noon.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.