Earth Innovations Inc.: Road Salt Shortage Triggers Unusual Donation

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, Feb 03 (MARKET WIRE) --
A Canadian company announced today that it is establishing a program to
help American cities cope with the high financial and environmental cost
of road salt.

The "Green Streets Challenge" will provide free, environmentally-friendly
traction aid -green in color - to twenty American municipalities
struggling with the road salt shortage. The first gift of "EcoTraction,"
a product manufactured in America, was accepted by the Mayor's Office of
the City of Chicago. They are expecting a shipment this week.

Earth Innovations Inc. is donating the gift to President Obama's hometown
in response to the new green initiatives central to the President's
fiscal policy, and to support Mayor Daley's goal of making Chicago 'the
greenest city in the nation.'

The Mayor has been very critical of road salt recently as quoted in the
Chicago Sun-Times: "This salt is not environmentally friendly. It
destroys everything. It destroys all your roads, the curbs, landscaping.
It destroys your car..."

A near-record 20.3 million tons of road salt were used last year in the
United States. The National Research Council Transportation Research
Board (Washington, D.C. 1991) estimates that every ton of road salt can
cause approximately $600 in downstream damages to infrastructure,
vehicles and property, plus incalculable damage to the environment.

"Unlike road salt, EcoTraction can actually benefit the environment
because of its natural soil amendment and water filtration properties,"
says Mark Watson, CEO of Earth Innovations. "It is safe to touch or
inadvertently ingest by pets, and won't damage vegetation or concrete,
nor corrode steel structures or rust cars."

The unusual product is made of a highly porous volcanic mineral with a
unique honeycombed jagged structure. Each granule acts like a rigid
sponge that embeds itself into ice by absorbing the thin layer of water
that makes icy surfaces slippery, creating a "sandpaper effect." Unlike
salt, it creates traction in the coldest temperatures and helps create
traction in freezing rain.

EcoTraction was created in 2005 after Watson lost his dog 'Grover' to
cancer. After consulting with a veterinary oncologist, he concluded that
the cause of his pet's illness was likely the toxins in road salt that
his dog inadvertently ingested by licking his paws after winter walks.
His story was featured on one of Canada's most watched TV shows this past
November. The show can be seen online: http://tinyurl.com/avdykp

This winter, he partnered with PetSmart, the largest pet specialty
retailer, where EcoTraction is available at hundreds of select stores in
Canada and the U.S. "We're grateful to PetSmart," says Watson. "Thanks to
them, EcoTraction is now available to thousands of 'pet parents' across
North America."

Acknowledging that consumers have so far led the way with EcoTraction, he
hopes that municipalities will challenge themselves to make their streets
green, literally.

"EcoTraction can help reduce a city's need for salt and is a fiscally
responsible way to go green," says Watson. "One bag of EcoTraction can
cover the same surface area as multiple bags of ice melters, making
EcoTraction a great value in these difficult economic times."

The company is offering to donate one ton of EcoTraction to the first 20
selected municipalities who contact them at gogreen@ecotraction.com.

BACKGROUND

The Top Six Problems with Deicing Salts & Ice Melters

Contaminates Groundwater

Salts & ice melters drain their toxins into soils, ponds, rivers and
lakes. As per the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: "...if
salinity were to continue to increase at its present rate... many surface
waters in the northeastern United States would not be potable for human
consumption and would become toxic to freshwater life within the next
century." http://tinyurl.com/cz36yg

Damages Infrastructure / Bridges

The National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) states that: "A
number of factors contribute to bridge corrosion. One of the most common
is the use of deicing salts on roads and bridges... The salts cause
corrosion of the steel reinforcing bars and other steel components
supporting the bridge. This form of corrosion is the main cause of
concrete bridge deterioration." http://tinyurl.com/8rhr36

Kills Lawns and Vegetation

Salts & ice melters are known to damage lawns, landscaping, and trees.

Harms Pets and Children

Pets ingest large concentrations of these toxins when they lick their
paws, and children can eat the chemically-dyed pellets that look like
candy.

Ineffective In Very Cold Conditions

Road salt starts losing its melting ability below 15 degrees Fahrenheit /
-9 degrees Celsius.

Provides Inconsistent Traction

Ice melters are not traction agents and can actually reduce traction by
leaving behind a liquid brine solution that refreezes, making roads and
walkways even more slippery than before.

Reference on cost of road salt: The Transportation Research Board of the
National Research Council (Washington, D.C., 1991)
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/sr/sr235.html

Contacts:
Earth Innovations Inc.
Mark Watson
CEO
613-232-4379 x104
888-293-3406
mark@ecotraction.com

Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

-0-