Hardwood dried for six months to a year is recommended as the cleanest-burning fuel for fireplaces. Yet faux logs made with petroleum-based wax have been popular for decades.
This season, you'll be able to pile manufactured logs in the cart with a clearer conscience: Duraflame is going greener.
Duraflame abandoned all use of increasingly expensive petroleum-based waxes this year. The company sells 100 million logs a year, and its new ones are all made with renewable vegetable-based waxes. They say "Xtra Duraflame" on the label. Look for them at grocery stores and big-box retailers.
Cost: $2-$4 a log, depending on size.