[Greenbuilding] No place for wood burning fireplaces in GreenBuilding

[Reuben Deumling]

Someone just forwarded me the missive below from the San Francisco Bay Area:

As a wood stove user and someone concerned with global warming I take
exception to the phrase "break the wood burning habit" as if it were akin to
cigarette smoking--a nasty habit I pursue for personal gratification. The
alternatives, after all, for the most part rely on fossil fuels (natural
gas, electricity, oil) and though the pollution generated by their use
generally occurs elsewhere, it is of a quality that is in my view more
problematic than the PM my woodstove and others' generates. Generating local
pollution seems to me a better way to close the loop, to keep things local
as it were. If we can do that, and avoid heating with fossil fuels, so much
the better, I say.
I'm all for reducing wood consumption as much as possible through maximum
insulation (architectural and bodily), but I'm allergic to (tax payer
funded) facile demonizations of wood burning with nary a breath about what
the alternatives saddle us with, both now and into the future.
For that matter "breaking the car driving habit" would seem to be a much
clearer win on all environmental fronts, but the constituency to whom such a
message would be addressed is far too ubiquitous to risk targeting.

Thoughts or comments?
Reuben Deumling

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        AirAlert - Spare The Air Tonight - Monday December 4
Date:   Mon, 4 Dec 2006 11:34:58 -0800 (PST)
From:   SpareTheAir at BAAQMD.gov
Reply-To:       baairalert at lists.sonomatech.com

Spare the Air Tonight, Monday, December 4, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The air quality tonight is forecast to be unhealthy.  The Bay Area Air
District is asking residents to refrain from burning wood in their
fireplaces and woodstoves, and to drive less.

Winter air pollution is mainly caused by small particle pollution, or
particulate matter (PM). The two major winter sources of PM in the Bay Area
are residential wood burning and motor vehicles.

You can help reduce winter air pollution if you:

- Break the wood burning habit this year and don't burn wood
- Retrofit your fireplace to burn natural gas, a cleaner alternative to wood
burning
- Postpone errands and link necessary trips
- Use public transit whenever possible

This advisory is in effect for the next 24 hours.