Stories from the Trails: Signs of Change - Rethinking Signage Sustainability in Banff

Story submitted by Valley Sign & Design 

Look around Banff and you'll see tourism written into the landscape through signs. From welcoming visitors into town to guiding them along trails, helping them find local businesses and sharing information about the places they visit, signage shapes how people experience the destination.

For Valley Sign & Design, those signs are also an opportunity to reduce environmental impact.

The local company has been building and maintaining signs throughout the Bow Valley for nearly 15 years. Five years ago, when they launched Valley Sign & Design, it created an opportunity to take a closer look at their materials, waste streams and day-to-day operations.

"We realized that every sign has a footprint," says co-owner Brett Foskett. "We wanted to find practical ways to reduce that impact while continuing to serve our clients and community."

Starting with better materials

That work begins with the wood itself.

Town of Banff bylaws require natural wood materials for many downtown signs, helping preserve the character of Banff Avenue. Valley Sign & Design sources its cedar from Selkirk Cedar in Revelstoke, a supplier that uses low-impact harvesting methods and large-scale replanting efforts.

The company has also partnered with GreenSpark, funding the planting of 10 trees for every wood sign they build. Since 2025, that has resulted in nearly 3,500 trees planted.

"For us, it's about making better choices wherever we can," says Brett. "Small actions add up over time."

Giving old signs new life

For Valley Sign & Design, sustainability isn't only about what gets built. It's also about what doesn't get thrown away.

Cedar signs can last for decades, and many signs around Banff still have plenty of life left in them. When possible, the team sands, repairs and repaints existing signs rather than replacing them entirely.

When signs do reach the end of their original purpose, the company looks for ways to repurpose them. Old restaurant signs have become work benches, retired signs have been transformed into furniture, and reclaimed materials were even used to build a Little Free Library that now serves a Banff neighbourhood.

"A lot of these signs are part of Banff's story," says Brett. "Finding ways to reuse them means they continue to have value long after they're taken down."

Small actions, shared responsibility

Temporary signage presents another challenge. Materials like vinyl and corrugated plastic are durable in the Rocky Mountain environment but are often produced for a single event or season. For clients looking to reduce waste, Valley Sign & Design offers recyclable and paper-based alternatives where possible.

For non-recyclable plastic signage that is still required, the company works with GreenSpark to remove 10 pieces of ocean-bound plastic for every sign produced. Since the beginning of 2025, that effort has helped remove more than 55,000 pieces of plastic.

The business also purchases carbon credits to help offset emissions from running fabrication equipment, printers and workshop spaces.

While the impact of a single sign may seem small, the team believes collective action can make a difference.

"We're a small business, with a small team, in a small town," says Brett. "We can't eliminate our footprint entirely, but we can keep finding ways to make it smaller."

Valley Sign & Design's approach reflects the spirit of Lead Tourism for Good, the destination's vision for tourism. The Nature Positive and Climate Action Trail to Tomorrow champions local businesses to find practical ways to reduce their environmental impact while supporting a thriving visitor economy.

As Banff and Lake Louise continue advancing Lead Tourism for Good, stories like this show that positive change can happen in unexpected places, including the signs that help visitors and the community navigate and experience the destination every day.

Learn more about Valley Sign & Design!

Valley Sign & Design Environmental Impact