Despite or because of global warming, record snowfall and ice storms have blanketed much of the U.S. When facing the problem of keeping a driveway and sidewalk clear to appease city ordinances, what methods are the most environmentally friendly? Let’s deal with snow first–when Enviro-Girl lived in town, she marveled at the gigantic snow blowers her neighbors employed to clear 20-40 feet of sidewalk and a short driveway to the street. Her garage was set back from the road and she shoveled. Shoveling is a heck of a work out–guaranteeing sweat and heavy panting within ten minutes–but it’s the friendliest way to clear the snow aside. The trick to making shoveling a reasonable task is using the correct tool–a shovel appropriate for your build and height–and attacking the snow in manageable bits. If 6-8 inches are expected to fall, shovel two to three times so you’re only clearing a few inches at a time. If you can’t do this, only clear what’s necessary in the first round and clear the rest later. A 2-foot wide path is adequate for mail carriers and pedestrians, and you might consider only clearing a path to one entrance of your house and let the other access point alone.
If you’re inclined to remove snow using industrial-strength machinery like Enviro-Girl’s husband, remember that bigger isn’t always better. A plow attached to an ATV uses less fuel and makes less noise than his 6.5 hp snow blowing machine. (Enviro-Girl thinks her hubby is overcompensating every time he buys equipment with engines…you should see his chainsaw.) An electric snowblower (Toro makes one that runs about $299) uses less energy, makes less noise, and gives off no emissions in stark contrast to it’s gas-powered counterparts–so if you must blow snow, electric is definitely the way to go.
But snow’s only part of the problem in the winter. Ice simply must be dealt with and there are a couple of methods–first, you can chip it away, potentially damaging your concrete/blacktop beneath. Second, you can employ other substances to gain traction on the ice until it melts naturally–sand, cat litter, bird seed, and fertilizer are good choices. These things won’t melt your ice, but they’ll help you travel over it safely until the sunshine does it’s part. (Enviro-Girl is going to try used coffee grounds next time–but she has a strict rule about no shoes or boots in the house!) Third, you can melt the ice. Some places install heated walkways and driveways–radiant heat systems that run hot water pipes below the brick or concrete. These still use a lot of energy. Rock salt melts ice and is fairly inexpensive, but it’s really tough on plant life and when it drains away through storm sewers it can mess up ecosystems. It’s also rough on cars, skin, and road surfaces. Recent research suggests using Calcium Chloride to be the safest alternative for melting ice–you can read more of Iowa State University’s report here. The problem is, it’s three times as costly as rock salt and can still cause skin irritation. At the end of all her research, Enviro-Girl plans to use traction on the ice, chip away at it with her handy chipping tool (a great work out!) and pray for warmer temps soon. She’s also writing to her county representatives to encourage the use of sand mixed with calcium chloride to manage roadways. One other thing Enviro-Girl has learned this winter: if you let an ice storm fall on a cleared driveway, you have a skating rink that is impossible to clear. If you let an ice storm fall on a snowy driveway, you can shovel it off pretty easily. In this case, a little laziness paid off on half of her driveway–unfortunately it isn’t the half she needs to drive on!
Enviro Girl’s sons didn’t clear this 1/4 mile driveway with that shovel–they depended on a neighbor with a tractor.
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