December 14, 2022
Courtesy/Peter Breslow Consulting & Public Relations
Terrill Haigler, aka Ya Fav Trashman, is hosting a contest in collaboration with Yards Brewing Co., asking artists to submit designs for an Earth Day beer can. The winning design will be featured on a can for the entire month of April.
Terrill Haigler, publically known as Ya Fav Trashman in Philadelphia, wants artists to get creative.
Haigler is a local activist whose mission is to make Philly a cleaner and more attractive city by sweeping up litter. To achieve that goal, he's teaming up with Yards Brewing Co. for a beer can contest centered around Earth Day.
Starting today until Jan. 30, anyone can submit an art design with an Earth Day theme for a chance to be featured on a Yards beer can during the month of April. A panel of 11 judges will review submissions, and the top three will be selected before the public votes on the best one.
Contestants can upload their designs to yafavtrashman.com by clicking the Yards Contest dropdown link.
For every case of beer with the winning label sold, Yards will plant a new tree in a Black or brown neighborhood.
Haigler said that teaming up with Yards Brewing Co. comes from a sustained relationship and their ability to align with his mission in the community.
"They want to see Philadelphia better," he said. "They want to see Philadelphia greener, they want to see Philadelphia cleaner, and they're also really good people and human beings. So when I came up with this idea, and I pitched it to them, they didn't even think twice before saying yes. Yards has just been a friend for almost three years now."
Art is essential to Haigler, who studied dance and performed professionally, including in a video for Grammy-winning singer Jill Scott. He said an art contest was inclusive by design, since anyone could submit an entry whether they're five years old or 95.
"Just, you know, bring the good vibe and positivity to the city, kind of like what the Phillies did for the World Series. So I want to keep that same energy and (give) the city something positive, something for everybody to look forward to," Haigler said.
Because Haigler's mission is to clean up and stress the importance of community improvements on Earth Day, taking care of the Earth year-round is a principle he teaches and lives by.
"We can start talking about Earth Day in December and prepping for it and shifting the perspective on how important Mother Earth is to lots, and to keep our communities clean and to be involved in your community and do things together," Haigler said.
The contest goes live tomorrow. You will be able to submit your designs on my website https://t.co/YBuMjJFmGz I need 100 people to RT this and tag ya fav artist 👩🎨 Thank You @yardsbrew for this amazing opportunity 🫶🏾‼️ Let’s Go Philly 💪🏾💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/3noIk900rd
— Ya Fav Trashman (@YaFavTrashman) December 13, 2022
Haigler, who worked for the city's sanitation department, has committed his life to beautifying Philadelphia through programs and organized clean-ups in neighborhoods where illegal dumping and trash are most rampant.
He operates his own trash-hauling company, and he aims to employ young adults to give them something positive to do, while also helping to make Philly a more attractive place to live. On his website, he points to stats from the National Environmental Education Foundation, which show violent crime decreases by 30% when a community is clean.
In June, Haigler released a children's book about the importance of clean communities. "I'm Cool Too" was written to help improve community interactions with sanitation workers by reaching young children and showing them there's nothing lame or corny about working in sanitation.
In September, Haigler announced his intention to run for an at-large seat on Philadelphia City Council the best way he could: during an organized clean-up in North Philadelphia. He told Billy Penn he planned to improve the city by addressing significant systematic issues.
"Attacking the trash would be an added value to all the other initiatives that are going on in the city," Haigler told the site.
