Election signs are cropping up in all corners of Langley, but one candidate has decided to eliminate the plastic and vinyl from her campaign.
Petrina Arnason, who is running for one of the eight seats for councillor, said that she aims to be the first elected official in the Township to run a campaign without signs.
Arnason, who ran unsuccessfully for a council seat in 2005, is concerned about getting her message out to voters before Nov. 19.
“There is pressure to get your name recognized on the ballot,” she said.
“Even though my name is widely known throughout the community because of my mother Muriel, many new residents don’t know her long history on council.”
She said that she has read many complaints about visual clutter, safety issues and problems with signs after election day, but has not heard anyone question the ecological costs of production, distribution, and destruction of signs.
Prompted by an e-mail from a resident, she thought about the ecological impact of the large volume of plastic generated by the Township campaign signs.
She added that her decision “forms part of my multi-faceted political platform which includes concerns about Willoughby densification, habitat loss, farmland incursions, as well as ground water and development issues on the Hopington aquifer. These interests are related to my overall desire to promote the sustainable management of the Township’s resources and to include ecological stewardship in public decision-making.”
She is turning to social media to get her message to voters.