Sustainability

Renewable town signs

Karl Kaltenhauser, Martin Staudinger and Martin Loacker (from left) set up the first renewable sign in Hard.(Bild: Gemeinde Hard)

A Carinthian company produces sustainable traffic signs made of bamboo for the Lake Constance municipality. In the coming years, all aluminum signs are to give way to the sustainable version. 

The above picture of Mayor Martin Staudinger is somewhat reminiscent of the late Carinthian governor Jörg Haider, who actively helped to move the town signs in Bleiburg and Ebersdorf in 2006. Staudinger's new installation is of course not about preventing bilingual place name signs. Rather, the purpose is due to climate change: "This pioneering project marks an important step towards greater sustainability and the reduction of CO₂ in our municipality. Vorarlberg's first town sign made of wood is intended to be the prelude to installing only traffic signs made of renewable materials in Hard in future," announces Staudinger.

In total, there are over 2,200 traffic signs and boards made of aluminum in Hard, which are to be gradually replaced by wooden signs. Incidentally, Carinthians are also involved this time - not as political agitators, but as suppliers: The ones made of bamboo are produced in Grafenstein near Klagenfurt. "Bamboo grows quickly, absorbs CO₂ and is particularly climate-neutral. Compared to the CO₂ value of an aluminum sign, a bamboo sign saves over 20 kilograms of CO₂ emissions," explains ITEK Managing Director Karl Kaltenhauser.