With Christmas just around the corner, many of us are probably looking forward to gathering by a roaring fire – perhaps with a few chestnuts roasting thrown in – with friends, loved ones or even alone.   But while the traditional brick or stone fireplace has livened up centuries of Christmas carols and warmed millions of winter nights, it may also have melted an iceberg or two.  Turns out that toasty winter fire is warming more than our feet, pumping planet-heating carbon into the atmosphere and eating up non-renewable resources like wood and coal.  So what’s an eco-conscious fireplace fan supposed to snuggle by?  The Fire Company’s new EcoSmart fireplaces could be the answer.

Instead of non-renewable wood or coal, EcoSmart fireplaces are fueled by denatured ethanol, making them much more eco-friendly than a traditional fireplace.  And for those who care about aesthetics as much as the environment, chill.  The EcoSmart line is definitely design friendly as well, having landed a Roscoe Award from Interior Design magazine in 2006.  Models range from the icy Igloo, which combines the heat of fire with the cool of ice-like glass, to the simple Retro, containing a basic fireplace in a brightly-colored rounded square, to the Zeta, formed with a curved leather shell.  There’s definitely something for everyone – and the planet will thank you. 

Fireplace + Sofas = Relax