Comments on: It’s better than bad, it’s good! (Day 343)…

By: Log burning girl

Log burning girl — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 21:01:44 +0000

We use Java Logs exclusively in our two wood-burning fireplaces (old house).

They do not smell like coffee… but they do lack the terrible “plastic” smell of every other log we’ve tried.

By: Leila

Leila — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:06:11 +0000

Depends on whether your goal is something pretty to look at or as an alternative heat source. For the pretty factor, you could just stack candles of various heights in your fireplace. But if you are serious about heat I would invest in a wood stove with a catalytic converter. It makes it both less polluting and more efficient. You can get ones that are built to fit inside a fireplace or freestanding. And some have glass doors. Also never burn green wood. It puts out less heat, lots of pollution, and causes dangerous creosote buildup in your chimney. Gas is less polluting than wood, but then you would not be burning a renewable resource. Much much less work and cleanup though! It’s not just about the “on” button, also think about the ash to cleanup and the trips hauling wood, and all the little bits of bark that end up on your floors. (Can you tell I have a woodstove in my house?)

By: B McLean

B McLean — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:59:20 +0000

Using real wood is actually very green. The CO2 released is exactly the same amount as if the tree was left to rot on the forest floor. Fire just releases it more quickly. This assuming of course that you do not cut down a living tree, and that the it is properly dried for a high-heat fire

By: cynthia

cynthia — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 03:39:01 +0000

Recycle your newspapers and make newspaper logs. Get some sheets of the newspaper wet and roll them really tight so they stick together. Stand them on end over a towel in an area where they will dry. The newspaper logs will stick together tightly when dried.

Now you have a new use for newspapers.

By: gettinggreen

gettinggreen — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:12:33 +0000

OK, so I just got this email in my inbox (a little too late, unfortch), advertising this clean-burning firelog for Valentine’s Day. Normally, I’d be like, “Whatever, take your promotional crap somewhere else,” but this video that came with it is actually pretty damn funny:

Consider it logged.

By: molly

molly — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:06:35 +0000

Just something to think about–most fireplaces let out more heat than they produce. So be sure to think of that fire as entertainment, not heat.

By: Mike Rush

Mike Rush — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:02:53 +0000

Nothing says “I Love You” this Valentines like a Commitment-Fearing (eco-friendly) Firelog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEVXOiUiJM8

Just remember, if you’re a couple looking to heat up your love life and bedroom (literally) this Valentines, a fire can offer warmth, romance, and nostalgia. New all-natural Pine Mountain firelogs, made from recycled sawdust and vegetable wax, burn 80% cleaner than ordinary firewood!

Also, Java-Log is the first and only firelog made with recycled spent coffee grounds and all-natural vegetable wax — 100 percent renewable resources! Java-Log firelog produces 70-80 percent less emissions than wood, and diverts more than 20 million pounds of coffee waste each year that would otherwise end up in our landfills!

By: linda

linda — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:46:47 +0000

The tv logs are the safest and least polluting, even if you factor in coal burning for the electricity!
Wood-burning is very polluting, and manufactured logs add other substances to the mix, making things even worse.
There are some types of wood-stoves that seem to be better, but even those need to be carefully researched, since some standards are woefully inadequate.

By: Megan Crow

Megan Crow — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:14:11 +0000

I’m still skeptical of the Dura Flame ‘Green’ Logs.

Gaiam has an alternative I was looking at…
http://www.gaiam.com/product/gift-guide/gifts-by-occasion/seasonal-holiday/holy+smokes-+firestarters+-set+of+2-.do?search=basic&keyword=fire&sortby=bestSellers&page=2

made from recycled church candles and wood fibers.

But i’ve also seen (and i couldnt find the link) that people make their own fire starters…by using old candle wax and charcoal (such as from a grill). Melt the candle wax and poor into an old egg carton (cardboard/paper) then add some charcoal bits. I’ve always wanted to try it.

By: Riley & Tiki's Mom

Riley & Tiki's Mom — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:04:04 +0000

They have the fire log channel in Cleveland Ohio too. Weird.

When I was a kid, we had a fireplace insert which made it act more like a wood stove. Much more efficient than a fireplace. We burned wood (free & local from a friend), newspaper logs, junk mail, dried orange rinds, and whatever else looked safe to burn. We kept a crock of water on top of it as a humidifier. It cut our heating bill by 2/3. Of course, it helped that my mother was home all day to stoke the fire.