People walking around campus may have noticed a brown liquid in areas where slipping hazards are great such as sloping sidewalks and stairs.

The U of L Grounds department traditionally uses a salt-based ice-melting agent, but is now testing out a more environmentally friendly product called “Fusion” from Eco Solutions.

Fusion is a 100 per cent organic and biodegradable anti-icing agent made from plant material. It will allow Grounds to reduce its salt use, resulting in less corrosion and pollution of the river. It can also be applied on grass and shrubs without the damage associated with salt spreading. While Fusion may not always result in complete melting of icy surfaces, those surfaces should be less slippery after treatment.

“Our goal is to provide a campus that is safe and operable while doing less harm to the infrastructure, the environment and the equipment we use to care for the campus,” says Phil Dyck, manager of Grounds.

Grounds is carefully evaluating the performance of this product and welcome any feedback. More information on this product and others like it can found here and here.