We always believed our LP gas heaters helped us heat our greenhouses without much environmental damage. Over time we became convinced that burning wood is environmentally better than burning gas. It is hard to believe on the surface because the gas heater makes no exhaust you can see, they do not smell and do not need cleaning. The wood burner on the other hand is smoky and smelly, but is a fraction of the cost for gas. We also must tend to the wood stove several times through out the day, someone has to add those hundred pound logs.
Being tree lovers, we recognize different species as we throw logs to the fire. These trees were cut and on the way to the lumber and chip mills but purchased by us. Knowing they were cut anyway makes it bearable. The carbon released is already in the environment and therefore better than that released by fossil fuel. We also learned that LP gas escapes the system from the well head to pilot light, each molecule has twenty- four times the greenhouse effect as a carbon molecule. So we switched to wood heat last winter. It is a lot cheaper, but a lot of work. And we do hope, a more environmentally friendly option.
