Fun fact: out of all the months of the year, the greatest snowfall occurs in January! However, with snow comes ice and with ice often comes road salt. Road salt is a sodium chloride product which can contain magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, and/or potassium chloride. Road salt provides traction for our feet and tires by changing the melting point of the ice so that it melts in freezing temperatures. North America started using road salt in the 1940s and since then chloride concentrations in ground water, even in the summer months, have greatly increased1. The water quality standard in Illinois for chloride concentrations states that the concentrations should not be greater than 500 mg/l in freshwater environments (Title 35, Subtitle C, Chapter I, Section 302.208 of the Illinois code). However, throughout the years, in many urban and suburban areas, the concentration of chloride has been found to be much higher.
Although road salt can keep us from slipping, we must ask ourselves what does road salt do to our aquatic ecosystem? It might not come as a surprise that road salt isn’t the best thing for aquatic ecosystems or our water quality. This is because the salt dissolves as part of the ice melting which means that the sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, and/or potassium chloride ends up getting into our soil and thus to ground water sources or gets washed into our storm drains which lead to our local waterways. This makes it a source of non-point source pollution, which is pollution that does not come from a clearly defined source but from runoff in many areas.
Freshwater animals are adapted to having low salt levels in their habitats. Thus, when salt concentration increases in their habitats these animals have difficulty keeping the water in their cells. This is because of osmosis which is the biological phenomenon where water moves through a semi-permeable membrane from a solution with a high concentration of water molecules to a solution with lower concentration of water molecules. This lack of water in aquatic animal’s cells cause the cells to shrivel up and die. The death of these cells cause injury and sometimes death to these aquatic animals[1]. Road salt isn’t just bad for aquatic animals though. It is bad for our pets as well. This is because, although our pets don’t like to eat the salt off the road, they get the salt on their feet which they then lick causing them to ingest the salt. Road salt is also highly corrosive which means it can cause damage to vehicles and infrastructure.
Figure 1: Adding Salt to Freshwater Changes How Water (H2O) Moves in and Out of Animal Cells. (2021). Illinois Riverwatch Network Chloride Monitoring Manual. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from http://www.ngrrec.org/Riverwatch/.
Thus, since road salt isn’t great for our aquatic ecosystems, pets, infrastructure, and cars you might be wondering what you should use instead. Switching to a minimally toxic product like a urea based product or a carbonite or carbonyl based product is a great idea. They are easy to find at most local stores and online. If you are mostly worried about traction try switching to sand, but make sure to spread in moderation as sand still gets into our waterways and is known to clog storm drains when in excess. Traditional ice picks and shoveling are also great ways to get rid of snow and ice with no fossil fuel usage or downstream impacts!
For more information about keeping our waterways clean visit mCLEANwater.org
[1]Illinois RiverWatch Chloride Monitoring Manual. The National Great Rivers Research & Education Center Illinois RiverWatch Network. (2021, October). Retrieved January 5, 2023, from http://www.ngrrec.org/Riverwatch/
In 2023 I will start Vermicomposting
Do you love drinking coffee and are looking for a way to compost your used grounds, but backyard composting isn’t an option for you? Try vermicomposting or composting with worms! Vermicomposting is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and stop food waste in your home. Vermicomposting is perfect for apartments, dorms, mobile homes, etc. and is pretty low maintenance! All you have to do is give your worms your food scraps once or twice a week and they will be happy. They will even produce luscious compost in return which can be used to help your indoor or outdoor plants grow stronger and prettier!
To learn more and get started vermicomposting, register to attend the Adult Vermicomposting Workshop on Saturday January 28th from 11:30-12:30pm. This workshop is co-hosted by the Ecology Action Center and the Coffee Hound and will be held at the Coffee Hound: CH3 location on 915 E Washington Street, Suite 1 in Bloomington, IL. The Workshop costs $35.00 to participate and space is limited. The workshop fee includes all materials including red wiggler worms, worm bedding, a bin to host your worm farm, and all the knowledge you need to start vermicomposting! Coffee Hound will even throw in a free coffee! Registration is required. Sign up here!
Vermicomposting is also a family affair! Worms are easy pets for your kids to take care of and are great environmental learning tools. That’s why the EAC and Coffee Hound are bringing to you a children’s vermicomposting program on Saturday, January 28th from 10-11am at the Coffee Hound: CH3 location. This program gives kids a beginning look at what vermicomposting is, the anatomy of a worm, and allows them to personally meet the worms that help our earth every day! This program is fun for kids of all ages and parents are welcome to stay or drop their children off. Space is limited so please register here!
Winter Window Wonders
Condensation: Seeing a lot of condensation on your interior windows in the winter? Condensation happens when the temperature of the glass is at or below the dew point of the air in your house. If you have a lot of condensation on your windows when it is cold outside it can mean a few things. First, the humidity level in your home is too high. In the winter, a home’s humidity level should be between 30-40%. In the summer it should stay below 50%. Place some simple hygrometers in your home to keep an eye on your humidity levels. High humidity levels cause condensation which can damage window frames, but can also cause issues you cannot see like mold. If your humidity levels are high, check the humidifier on your furnace and adjust it and use exhaust fans while cooking and during showers/baths. If your humidity is low, but you still have condensation on your windows, your windows could be a little leaky. If you have older windows with metal storm windows, check to make sure the storm windows are down in the winter, and check around the edge of the storm window for gaps. If you find gaps you can seal them with caulk.
Drafty feelings: On a winter night, someone sitting next to a window might say, "I feel a chill - this window is drafty!" It could be, if the window is in bad shape, but more than likely that chill is coming from radiant heat loss and a convective loop. When we are near cold windows - our body heat radiates from us to the window, making us feel colder. AND the window pane is cooling the indoor air temperature next to it. As air gets colder it gets denser and sinks. The falling cold air pulls warmer air near the ceiling to the window, creating a convective loop. That subtle air movement can feel like a draft.
If you are still not sure whether or not your windows are behaving – schedule a home energy audit with the EAC and we will figure it out for you!
