Another weekend, another storm in the Northeast. The last several December snowstorms were followed by really cold air. The snow and ice refused to melt, unless it was salted. My township came around and salted my street fairly quickly, so that snow melted. I have no idea if my township uses “environmentally friendly” road salt, if such a thing even exists. But I am really happy that whatever is in the salt, my street is easier to drive on. I’ve read this month about a truly environmentally friendly snow melt solution–cheese brine. More accurately, a small amount of cheese brine that is mixed in with regular road salt.
Counties across Wisconsin (and a couple of other places) are testing this truly sustainable melting agent for the roads. About 25% of the nation’s cheese supply is produced in the state of Wisconsin. This equates to about 2.8 billion pounds of cheese in the state, so there is plenty of locally produced cheese brine available. Locavores rejoice! And if the cheese happens to be organic, or produced sustainably, so much the better. Lest one think that all cheese brines are created equal, road maintenance crews have discovered that provolone or mozzarella are the best cheese brines to use for this purpose. Who knew that the roadways could be as picky as customers in a restaurant?
Salting the Roads with Cheese
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2013/12/27/wisconsin-uses-cheese-brine-to-keep-roads-clear-of-ice/#.Ur-mJ_XPwuI
SustainableWritings 