Target: Michael S. Regan, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Goal: Opt for environmentally-friendly alternatives to using road salt to reduce ecosystem contamination and harm to wildlife.
Nearly every year, about 20 million metric tons of road salt is used to melt snow and ice. Within hours, the salt improves the safety of roads, but at a cost to the environment. While road salt may be helpful, it’s made of sodium chloride, a toxic chemical that should not be ingested under any circumstance. The toxicity of this material presents questions about its usage and new alternatives should be further looked into.
Many states have taken action to replace road salt because its ingestion can lead to death, while natural alternatives cannot. Outside of direct health issues, road salt contaminates water and soil, stripping it of its natural properties and harming wildlife in those ecosystems. Furthermore, when soil and this material come in contact, water is stripped from the soil, potentially preventing future plant growth. Household pets can even be harmed by road salt if they come in direct contact with it or drink contaminated water, as can humans. In terms of safer alternatives, some communities use sugar beet juice because it serves as a defroster without harming the environment. Pickle and cheese brine can also be used. These are just a few of the natural alternatives that should replace road salt when looking towards defrosting and clearing roads.
Sign this petition to encourage the replacement of road salt with natural alternatives.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Administrator Regan,
The use of road salts is incredibly harmful to the environment and can harm and/or kill wildlife, household pets, and even humans if it is ingested. Its toxic properties make it an unsafe material to have on the roads. It also contaminates soil and water, presenting more harm if wildlife were to live in and/or consume contaminated material. Just these reasons alone make it essential for road salt use to be replaced with other materials. There are several natural materials such as sugar beet juice and cheese brine that serve as defrosters while not being toxic. These should be used as a permanent replacement for road salt.
The use of natural material to defrost roads could save the lives of wildlife and protect Earth’s water and soil. We need to help the environment based on its current status. Do what you can to stop road salt use and opt for more environmentally-friendly options. Thank you for your attention to this vital message.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: PxHere
This is music to the ears of those of us who care for our environment. Substances which fix the problem yet is safe for our soil, animals, and wildlife is a really remarkable idea to go forward with now. We have all the same problem but now we also have climate change too. These ideas for products as solutions is fantastic!