| That depends on the stove you have in your | | | | potbelly stoves, and a 90 percent decrease in |
| mind's eye. The old-fashioned, pot-belly stoves | | | | emissions. In plain English, this means that |
| that appear in most Western movies didn't do the | | | | advanced wood burning stoves burn a lot less |
| atmosphere any favors. But today's wood burning | | | | wood and are simultaneously kinder to the planet. |
| stoves, engineered with fuel economy in mind, are | | | | At this point, a natural question would be, "Don't |
| a different story. | | | | wood stoves put pollutants into the atmosphere |
| Back in the days of cowboys and general stores, | | | | just like other heating sources--gas, oil, or coal?" |
| wood stoves could have been mistaken for | | | | The answer is nuanced. When fossil fuels are |
| indoor smokestacks--and that wouldn't have been | | | | extracted from the earth and consumed, they |
| too far from the truth. But modern stoves are | | | | release carbon dioxide into the environment at |
| actually one of the "greenest" sources of radiant | | | | unhealthy levels. And after the monumental costs |
| heat available to home owners today. Here are | | | | of extracting and producing these fuels, once |
| some of the big reasons why. | | | | they're burned, they're gone for good. |
| Let's start with a little history. In the early 20th | | | | As a fuel source, wood is different on several |
| century, even the most efficient wood burning | | | | counts. |
| stoves left a lot to be desired and it wasn't hard | | | | Trees, like all other green plants, take carbon |
| to tell. The smoky haze these stoves produced | | | | dioxide out of the atmosphere and convert it to |
| was a telltale sign that an unknowing home owner | | | | fiber in order to grow. When trees die, and wood |
| was literally giving the torch to his heating budget. | | | | decomposes, this CO2 is released back into the |
| Fortunately, there has been a revolution in stove | | | | air. But in this case, it is a natural cycle, since all |
| design since those days. | | | | trees eventually die. The same thing is true when |
| Around 1990, there was a growing interest in | | | | wood is burned. Making the wood-burning cycle |
| alternative heating sources, caused by the rising | | | | sustainable is the fact that wood is a renewable |
| awareness of the impact of fossil fuels (oil, coal) | | | | source of fuel. |
| on the environment. In addition, the goal of | | | | We started this article asking the question, "Are |
| energy self-sufficiency caused home owners to | | | | wood stoves good for the environment?" The |
| reevaluate wood stoves as a heating method. | | | | answer, when you compare stoves to other |
| The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) got | | | | heating methods, is yes. Today's stoves are fuel |
| involved, instituting demanding emissions standards | | | | efficient: they produce more heat with less wood, |
| to make sure that new stoves would be kind to | | | | keeping emissions to a minimum by meeting strict |
| the environment. | | | | EPA standards. Best of all, perhaps, they don't |
| As new stoves were produced, engineers | | | | deprive the earth of non-renewable fossil fuels. |
| incorporated the EPA standards, and the "modern" | | | | So, call to mind that rusty, black iron stove you |
| wood stove came into being. Since 1990, every | | | | saw in a Western movie, a vacation lodge, or at |
| new wood stove is approved by the EPA, and | | | | your grandparents. Then prepare yourself for an |
| produces a mere trickle of smoke (2-5 grams per | | | | updated picture as you explore the world of |
| hour) and very little ash. This amounts to a 33 | | | | modern wood stoves. Environmentally speaking, |
| percent increase in fuel efficiency over the old | | | | today's stoves are very green. |