One local candidate, aware of the excessive number of plastic signs along the roads during the primary as well as the worldwide need to limit plastics, made the decision to use fewer new synthetic products in her campaign. Candidate for the WV House of Delegates seat representing Monroe and part of Summers County, Becky Crabtree, said, “I just didn’t want to add to the plastic litter that defines campaigns. However, I understand that roadside advertising is important for name recognition.” She expects the majority of her yard signs to be recycled along with a few new ones. She says they all bear the circular arrows of recycling as a reminder to reuse, recycle, and repurpose.
Crabtree explored the possibility of using compostable materials, even fabric, for signs and printing on them with organic hemp inks, but finally decided to repurpose old signs. She asked candidates who no longer wanted to keep their signs if they would be willing to donate them to her campaign. In a bipartisan effort, Dr. Joe Golden, Democratic candidate for WV House of Delegates in Fayette County, and Republican candidate for County Clerk in Monroe County, Angela Miller Taylor, were generous in donating their signs. Donations of paint followed. Linoleum and old floormats were transformed into homemade stencils. Then, Crabtree, along with her daughters and grandchildren spent several summer afternoons together under a shady maple tree in the front yard at the base of Peters Mountain in Monroe County, painting over the old message and designing new messages.
Crabtree, making her first run for office, said, “My new signs are not fancy but they don’t add any new plastic to the environment. I hope they will be eye-catching and show voters I am willing to walk the talk concerning environmental issues. I grew up in a household where family members were expected to fix broken items and use products sparingly.”
“Afterwards, if I don’t plan to use the signs again, we will line the barn with them and block the wind so our sheep will be warmer this winter. It’s a win-win for common sense, the Earth, and our animals!”
