Our Story
Earth Innovations Inc, manufacturer of ecoTraction, began with a mission to offer an alternative to deicing salt because it’s harmful to pets, it’s corrosive, it’s ruining road and bridge infrastructure throughout North America, not to mention concrete, carpets and vehicles. In addition, scientists are now raising the alarm that the salt run-off pollutes our groundwater and soil, negatively effecting aquatic life, well water, creeks, rivers, lakes, vegetation and trees.
The Birth of ecoTraction
ecoTraction was born in 2005, after our founders discovered a unique volcanic mineral that is safe for pets and can be used as a green alternative to ice melters. It provides highly effective traction for pedestrians and vehicles without damaging property or the environment.
In 2008 ecoTraction became a national sensation in Canada after its highly successful appearance on one of the nation’s most watched TV shows called Dragons’ Den (known in the USA as Sharks’ Tank). See video on the right.
This mineral has a wealth of environmentally friendly applications: for years it had been used for water purification, environmental remediation to clean-up heavy metals and toxins, as a soil amendment product, as an odour control product and more.
This mineral, in the form of ecoTraction, provides better value for homeowners and property managers in many ways: you use only a fraction of the volume per square foot, compared to salt, to provide instant traction and more safety on slippery winter surfaces.
Earth Innovations Today
Today, as we look to the future, we are committed to provide high-quality sustainable eco-products offering reduced environmental impacts, as well as exceptional value and performance. We believe that we must embrace not just environmentally “friendly” but also environmentally “beneficial” products. We believe that we must consume, reuse and recycle products that take care of our planet, making our world a better place to live, work and raise a family.
What’s up next? The sky is the limit. We are evaluating a number of consumer products that use the same unique mineral found in ecoTraction due to it multitude of uses.
Our History
Earth Innovations began when our founders realized the wealth of environmentally friendly applications for a volcanic mineral called Zeolite. This unique mineral is already used for water purification, for cleansing and extraction in medical and pharmaceutical processes, and much more.
Instant Traction
The first mission we had was to offer an alternative to road salt because it’s corrosive, it’s ruining road and bridge structures throughout North America, not to mention carpets and vehicles. In addition, scientists are now raising the alarm that the run-off pollutes our groundwater and soil, negatively effecting aquatic life, well water, creeks, rivers, lakes, vegetation and trees.
Zeolite, in the form of ecoTraction, provides better value for homeowners and property managers because you can use a fraction of the volume per square foot to provide instant traction on slippery winter surfaces.
Odour elimination
We now also manufacture Smell Grabber, an effective product for smell elimination in household waste, compost, cat litter boxes, baby diaper bins, outhouses, and much more. It is made of the same unique mineral as ecoTraction. Smell Grabber is 10x more effective than baking soda at adsorbing odours. As one of the few negatively-charged naturally occurring minerals in nature, it causes many odorous and harmful gases to bond directly to its micro-porous structure and traps noxious offensive odours.
Next up
What’s up next? The sky is the limit. We are evaluating a number of Zeolite-based consumer products. Stay tuned for when our next creation goes to market.
– The Earth Innovations Team
The Top Six Problems with Deicing Salts & Ice Melters
A study by the National Research Council Transportation Research Board estimates that every ton of road salt can cause between $500 and $2,000 in downstream damages to infrastructure, vehicles, property and the environment. Yet we continue to dump nearly 40 million tons of salt and ice melters annually on our sidewalks and roads in Canada and the United States. Some of the major problems caused by road salt and chemical ice melters are as follows:
Contaminates Groundwater
When salt & ice melters dissolve into ice and snow, they usually end up draining their dangerous toxins into soils, ponds and lakes, and city sewer systems. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences have concluded that road salt contaminates drinking water supplies,
“…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.”
-Taken from an abstract of “Increased salinization of fresh water in the northeastern United States”
Destroys Infrastructure & Property
Salt can damage concrete and corrode metals. 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.”
Ineffective In Very Cold Conditions
As per the Salt Institute, road salt stops melting ice or snow effectively below 15°F / -9°C.
Kills Lawns and Plant Life
In spring, homeowners are usually disappointed to find that the salt & ice melters they used in the winter have killed a section of their lawn and landscaping.
Harms Pets and Children
Ice melters can be harmful for pets and kids. Pets’ paws can be harmed and they can ingest large concentrations of these toxins when they lick their paws. Children can eat the chemically-dyed pellets that can sometimes look like candy.
Provides Inconsistent Traction
Ice melters are not traction agents. They can actually reduce traction by leaving behind a liquid brine solution that refreezes, making roads and sidewalks even more slippery than before.
An Idea Born from a Neighbourhood Tragedy
In 2004, when our founder Mark Watson’s 8-year old Cocker Spaniel “Grover” died suddenly from lymphoma cancer, he was heartbroken and saddened. Shortly thereafter when his neighbours 2-year old Labrador Retriever and a third neighbour’s dog (an 11 year-old mixed breed) also suddenly succumbed to cancer, he became alarmed and committed to finding out more.
After discussing the string of pet deaths with his vet, he was referred to a veterinarian oncologist who suggested that the Lymphoma may have been triggered by a toxin in the environment. The oncologist mentioned that such diagnoses were on the increase and suggested that the cause could be linked to the toxins contained in the ice melting chemicals that were inadvertently licked from the paws of dogs after winter walks.
After some vigilant research Mark discovered that the rock salt used by his municipality on roads, was not the same as the salt served at the dinner table. Not only does un-purified rock salt contain traces of toxic heavy metals such as mercury and lead, but it is also frequently mixed with an anti-caking agent called ferrocyanide.
Apparently most municipalities in North America use ferrocyanide as an anti- caking agent to facilitate the spreading of rock salt and to prevent clumping. These ice melter toxins are known to irritate dogs who lick their paws after winter walks and ingest them in unhealthy quantities.
A Word from our Founders
Mark Watson
“The sudden deaths of my dog and two others on my street began my dedicated search for a safer and natural alternative to preventing slips and falls on icy surfaces. There needed to be an option for consumers that would not be so deadly to our pets or destructive to our homes.
Today, I am proud to bring you ecoTraction, a cost effective, all natural volcanic mineral that provides incredible traction on ice and snow, and is proven safest for pets, plants and property. Have a fun and safe winter!”
Mark Watson, Co-Founder
Marc Appleby
“After meeting Mark in 2005 and hearing his tragic story, I too became impassioned to find a natural alternative to ice melters that was both safe and effective. Our search yielded this unique green-coloured food-safe mineral that we found provides incredible traction on ice and snow, and its natural propertiesallow it to actually benefit our environment regardless of where it ends up. Hands-down the greenest solution to preventing winter slips and falls, ecoTraction provides total peace-of-mind and I am proud to stand behind it. As both a dog owner and green activist, I hope my work through Earth Innovations can raise public awareness of the dangers to dogs from toxic ice melters, as well as help create sustainable winter traction strategies for homeowners and cities alike, in particular eliminating road salt use in environmentally-sensitive areas. Thank you for joining me this winter in keeping our environment cleaner, our sidewalks safer, and our dogs happier. Thanks for going green.”
Marc Appleby, Co-Founder
