Isn’t snow supposed to be white?

Before coming to America, I’ve always dreamed of playing in the pristine white snow. Now, I try to avoid the snow as much as possible. This picture was taken in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, but can be commonly found throughout the city. Now this may not seem as important or grave as co2 emissions killing us all, but it is something that we as New Yorkers should definitely pay closer attention to. For one, it makes our city look like a dumpster. Nobody wants to be walking around heaps of dirty snow. For the next few days, it becomes worst as it freezes or thaws. When it freezes, we are practically ice skating like penguins. On the flip side, you see New Yorkers skipping around the city trying to avoid the black puddles. If you’re not careful, you might end up slipping on the “slushies”. Countless victims  have encountered the slushie and ended up breaking a bone or two.

A common tactic to combat the snow is sprinkling rock salt on the asphalt. As discussed in Ohla’s presentation on pipelines, rock salt accelerates the freeze-thaw cycle and damages the asphalt through rapid expansion and contraction. So what can we do then? Well, there are alternative products like salt-free ice melters. They are slightly more expensive but would be a great investment in the long run. At the end of the day, it just boils down to commitment. How much do we care about our own safety? The environment? If we cared enough, simply shoveling the snow can be extremely effective.