More LOVE for the Environment
With over 300 LOVEworks installed across the Commonwealth, it’s easy to see how much LOVE there is to go around. And a new one is about to be unveiled on Earth Day because of a challenge set by askHRgreen.org, a public awareness program of the 17 local governments in Hampton Roads that’s administered through the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC). The nonprofit encourages environmental stewardship among all residents in southeastern Virginia.
Rebekah Eastep, Senior Environmental Education Planner for Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, said that askHRgreen.org placed a call for artists last fall to find a local talent to create a recycling-themed LOVE sign as part of the “Start Smart, Recycle Right” public awareness campaign. The Start Smart, Recycle Right campaign encourages residents to create less waste and recycle only those items accepted in their local recycling program – most often paper, plastic bottles, and metal cans.
That call was answered earlier this year by Tom Shirk and his students from Suffolk Public Schools’ College & Career Academy at Pruden (CCAP). They were selected as the winner of this unique art challenge. The team received a $2,500 stipend to cover costs for materials, along with additional recyclable materials to complete the sculpture.
Since January, Mr. Shirk and his team of student welders have been hard at work welding materials to spell out the word LOVE, with a heart-shaped “O.” The see-through design is filled with recyclable beverage cans and plastic bottles and secured with a lightweight mesh to tie the whole concept together.
The LOVE sign is 8’ x 5’ and ready to start its journey across Hampton Roads to encourage recycling and waste reduction. Its design and construction complemented state-mandated work standards for welding that included stick, Mig and Tig welding, as well as Oxy/fuel and Plasma cutting. Mr. Shirk shared that “the LOVE project for askHRgreen.org was an amazing opportunity for the students to apply the welding techniques they learned in the classroom” and that students “had the opportunity to operate with such confidence in their abilities while also understanding the connection to the larger message of recycling bottles and cans.”
TFC Recycling, a partner in the Start Smart, Recycle Right campaign, was thrilled to see the thoughtful approach students took when creating the LOVE sign. President and CEO Michael Benedetto commented that the sign will be a meaningful way to start conversations about which items are recyclable in local recycling programs.
The LOVE sign will have its first public “reveal” on Saturday, April 22, during the Suffolk Earth and Arts Festival at Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church, 3488 Godwin Blvd. in Suffolk. In the coming months, the LOVE sign will be making appearances across the Hampton Roads area at different events and attractions. People who visit the LOVE sign are encouraged to post to social media using the hashtag #RecyclingIsForLovers.
You can also take a look at the map of LOVEwork installations in Virginia to find other LOVEworks near you, or to choose as a destination for your next road trip!
