Last fall, askHRgreen.org and promotional partner TFC Recycling invited artists to submit design ideas for a Virginia LOVE sign to complement the new ‘Start Smart, Recycle Right’ public awareness campaign. Suffolk Public Schools welding instructor Tom Shirk from the College and Career Academy at Pruden and his students submitted the winning design which outlined a dynamic 8’ x 5’ LOVE sign that included space within the letters for recyclable plastic bottles and metal cans. askHRgreen.org provided the school with a $2,500 stipend to complete the artwork.

The students’ thoughtful approach to this project reflects what ‘Start Smart, Recycle Right’ is all about. Residents are encouraged to start smart by reducing waste and selecting products in recyclable packaging and recycle right by only putting accepted materials (especially paper, plastic bottles, and metal cans) in their household recycling bin.

HRPDC board members got the first sneak peek of the LOVE sign at their April 20 meeting. Mr. Shirk and Makai Gillis, one of the 25 student artists involved with the project, attended the meeting to share what working on the project meant to them and each received a commemorative HRPDC challenge coin in recognition of their contribution to the region. The artwork then travelled to Suffolk to be publicly unveiled at the Suffolk Earth and Arts Festival on Earth Day, April 22. 

Now that the LOVE sign has made its grand debut, the askHRgreen.org team will be taking the sign on a regional tour over the course of the next year. The LOVE sign will appear at a variety of events and attractions across Hampton Roads this summer and fall so be on the lookout for it a community event near you. For more details about the LOVE sign tour and everything you need to know about recycling right in Hampton Roads, visit: https://askhrgreen.org/recycling-is-for-lovers/.