U of M Expert: Can music and dance reduce salt pollution?

Each winter, Minnesota uses thousands of tons of salt on public roads and on private properties. This de-icing salt gets into lakes, streams and groundwater, threatening drinking water and aquatic life. One part of reducing salt usage is helping people understand the impact improper and excessive de-icing has on their local watersheds. But how to do that? University of Minnesota expert Mark Pedelty and his collaborators created Ecosong.Net to inform the public about chloride pollution - and other environmental stressors - in an entertaining way. Their four-minute original music video, "Watershed," a collaboration with the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization , has been used by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and local townships to engage and education communities across the state of Minnesota. Mark Pedelty, Ph.D. "Music and dance is a great way to mobilize a community.