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snow shovel
'Tis the season for snow and ice - only fun if you're a penguin or like to walk with an ice pick.

For the rest of us, the big challenge is dealing with frozen precipitation once it hits the ground, especially if we want to be 'eco friendly.' These tips will help.

What's wrong with rock salt?

Salt can build up in the soil, just like chemical fertilizers you toss on the ground. Salt residue makes it difficult for plants to absorb moisture and nutrients from the soil once the ground thaws. Salts may also leach heavy metals which eventually make their way into water supplies. Salt on grass or sidewalks close to roads can attract animals, which may be hit by passing cars if they're licking the salt from the ground. Plus, salt can burn our pets if it lodges in their paws. Yes, salt does effectively melt snow. But is there a better way?

What To Do:

· Minimize snow and ice by shoveling, and the sooner after snow stops falling, the better. If shoveling is too challenging for you, pay a neighborhood kid a few dollars to help .

· If you use a snow blower, make it electric . Gas-powered blowers generate a lot more air and noise pollution.

· If you're installing a new driveway or replacing an old one, consider laying down a "snow melt mat" first. These mats use electric cables to heat the driveway from below and radiate heat upwards. Yes, you pay for electricity, so it's not as "eco" as shoveling by hand. But it may be better than using chemicals that pollute the water and endanger plants and pets. According to calculations done for me, it would cost someone living in the Washington, DC area (where I live) about $14 in electricity each time the system was used to melt snow on my driveway - though that doesn't include the cost of installing the system. Electricity costs will vary by region. (NOTE: I'm not recommending you tear up a perfectly good driveway to put in a snow melt system!)

· Use an alternative to salt. Sodium chloride (NaCL) may contain cyanide. Calcium chloride (CaCl) is slightly better since less goes farther, but it is still not ideal, since its run-off still increases algae growth, which clogs waterways. Potassium chloride is another salt to avoid.

· Try sand. The grains won't melt snow or ice, but they will give you more grip on icy surfaces.

· Scrimp on the de-icer. Remember, the job of a de-icer is to loosen ice from below to make it easier to shovel or plow. Don't pile on the de-icer thinking you'll remove the ice completely. You won't. The recommended application rate for rock salt is around a handful per square yard you treat. Calcium chloride will treat about 3 square yards per handful.

· If you do use salt, keep it away from landscape plants, especially those that are particularly salt- sensitive, like tulip poplars, maples, balsam firs, white pines, hemlock, Norway spruce, dogwood, redbud, rose bushes and spirea bushes.

· Skip the kitty litter or wood ashes. Neither melts snow and ice, and they have a tendency to get messy when it warms up.

· Avoid products that contain nitrogen-based urea. They're more expensive and are not effective once the temperature drops below 20°F. Plus, the application rate for urea during a single de-icing is ten times greater than that needed to fertilize the same area of your yard. Much of the urea will end up washing into the street and storm drain, and eventually contribute to lake and stream pollution.

· Wear boots that have a solid toe and bottom treads to help increase your grip on icy surfaces.
phone book
We just got two new phone books dropped on our door - and all I could think of was, "What a waste." I used my White Pages maybe ten times at most last year. I never use the Yellow Pages anymore: If I need to find a business, I just go on line.

That's why I signed up for a new service that will take my name off the automatic phone book delivery registry for next year. YellowP agesGoesGreen.org works like the Do Not Call registry I joined last year so annoying direct mail marketers couldn't call my phone to pitch me their products or services or ask for donations for their clients. Yellow Pages Goes Green electronically tells phone book distributors to avoid consumers who have found less polluting ways to locate phone numbers and addresses. The online service is free and takes only a minute to join.

You can access online phone books at these yellow pages and white pages directories (if you have a favorite, send me an e-mail at Diane@biggreenpurse.com and I'll share your suggestions in a future Purse Alert!)

Recycle existing phone books by finding the location nearest you at.Earth911.
one in a million mom
Another mom has found a way to shift her spending to products and services that offer the greatest environmental benefit. Here's her picture. Read her story!

By the way, if you want to pass this information along to a friend, just click on the Forward button right below my signature.

Talk to you again soon,

 Diane's Photo
Diane MacEachern
Big Green Purse

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