I've been using salt, but table salt out of the cupboard for the past few years. I like it because 1)the crystals are very small and so I can target only the areas like stair treads that need it, unlike the 1/4-in. diameter chunks of rock salt; 2) because the crystals are so small it seems to take a lot elss volume of salt to melt ice and snow; and 3) it's expensive enough that I only use 2-3 lbs at most each winter. By clearing as much snow as possible off the walks is very effective because although we may not notice it on our bodies, darker surfaces such as asphalt and concrete do absorb a surprising amount of solar energy, even in below freezing temperatures. They thus are capable of melting snow and ice from below, on even 0 degree (but sunny) days, if sunlight can penetrate the ice and snow layer. George Frantz
--- On Mon, 1/26/09, Margaret McCasland <[email protected]> wrote: From: Margaret McCasland <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] salt for icy sidewalks? To: [email protected], "Sustainable Tompkins County listserv" <[email protected]> Date: Monday, January 26, 2009, 8:04 PM so far as I know, "sure foot" grit (for use in barns) has no bad effects. I think it is just crushed limestone, and quite cheap at Agway. It doesn't melt ice; it just makes it less slippery. Won't help within the city limits, but is very effective on icy surfaces. Good when even salted ice freezes (below 15 F) and also for when there is a very thin glaze of ice, around 32 F, which doesn't produce enough salty water to melt the whole area . I have not yet found a very good ice melter, so I compromise with calcium chloride. There are a lot of "green-wash" products out there that are improvements over rock salt, but not always by very much. Most of them are very pricy; lots of them are salt-based (just coated with mitigating substances), and prone to absorbing water and then forming solid blocks. My favorite technique is to shovel off as much snow as possible so that the sun melts and evaporates the rest, at least on walks that get mid-day sunshine--it works even on cloudy days. Having even a few bits of "bare pavement" makes a big difference in melting the adjacent ice. This is the same "positive feedback loop" which is causing such serious melting in the polar regions--the bits that absorb heat, instead of reflecting it, lead to increasing amounts of melting. This particular effect is the single greatest threat to life as we know it on Earth, due to increased melting of land-based ice and snow and thus potentially major rises in sea level. Margaret On Jan 26, 2009, at 2:38 PM, Patricia Haines wrote: > what's the best thing to deal with ice that doesn't damage the > environment? > > LEVEL GREEN - fostering sustainable community through collaborative > initiatives in hospitality, education and the arts, in the 150 year- > old democratic spirit of the Danish Folk School. 1519 Slaterville > Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 339-9472 > > > > _______________________________________________ > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County > area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > Questions about the list? ask [email protected] > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
