It's gather-round-the-fire season in Minnesota. All six months of it. So, what exactly should we put in the fireplace? Artificial logs, compressed paper logs, real wood?
The 100% Recycled Plastic Logmaker from Eco Kitchens Online is essentially just a tube with a plunger, but it's easy to use and doesn't require soaking and drying like some similar products.
I assumed artificial logs would be an eco-nightmare. Duraflame must have done some focus groups that shared a similar perception because they created a green log. Their new biowax product binds sawdust with recycled biomass, resulting not only in lower carbon monoxide emissions, but also less particulate matter (the source of all kinds of respiratory problems). Pound for pound, they even generate more heat than wood.
Duraflame's bio logs may not be toxic, but they smell toxic apparently—after and even before they're lit! Oh, and dogs may be tempted to eat them.
Duraflame still has the Colorlog, which isn't made of 100% renewable resources. So if the bio smell really gets to you, you have a hungry dog, or you really need your fire to be red, purple, and blue, there are less-green options available on the market.
Personally, I'm tempted by a log that burns spent coffee grounds.
(Photo Credit: Superterrific FlickR)
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I've always thought of this as an eco nightmare too. I'd love to be able to have a long burning log in the fire place for the holidays.
My husband hates to burn real wood in our fireplace because of the cleanup. I'll look for the green duraflame log. Thanks, I had no idea they had a green product.
I've tried a Java-Log, and it's great: even flames, burns warm, crackles gently, lasts for more than three hours, and the cleanup the next morning is nice and easy, with far less residue than a wood fire. I now have three more Java-Logs waiting.