yesterday i picked up a book called cool green stuff, which is a great picture books of great sustainable goods for your home & self. much of the furniture and home items are clever and high-end. one of the first pages i flipped to featured the ecosmart fireplace. ahhh. fireplace. ever since we took down our christmas tree we have been missing a nice general soothing glow in our living room. the ecosmart fireplace, developed in australia and available around the world, is an "environmentally friendly open fireplace." as it's flueless and doesn't require the hookup of more traditional fireplaces, it can be located smack in the middle of the room. which also means you can have fireplaces wherever you want, at opposite ends of your home (or apartment). it burns on renewable denatured ethanol. don't get me wrong, "denatured ethanol" sounds hardly as romantic as a good wood burning fireplace. i know, i know. i grew up with woodstoves and loved laying my clothes out to toast up while i took a shower in the morning. but this one involves no yucky scary managing of a wood pile (if you ever grew up with "stacking wood" as one of your chores you know what i mean. wood means bugs and snakes) and is green, which is happy. and if you can just pick up and move it, you can take it with you if you move!