I find the no fire policy ironic. We are supposed to be a green community and save natural resources but yet run the heater all day long to ensure our families are in good health and profit bug business. Come over and ticket me but while you are there, my home will be warm for them to cite me a $400.00 ticket while many are being laid off.

You raise an interesting point, Mike. What's the more polluting and ineffecient heating method, burning wood in a fireplace or running a gas or electric heater? I'd guess that the heater is the more efficient method, or we all would have stuck with fireplaces instead of furnaces. The pollution is harder to calculate, since the pollution from the power plant is farther removed, while on a cold, still day, the smoke and particulate matter from fireplaces is easy to observe.

"What's the more polluting and ineffecient heating method, burning wood in a fireplace or running a gas or electric heater?"

No contest there - there's no air pollution controls on a fireplace, while power plants have them. Also, power plants are much more efficient than open burning, which is what a fireplace really is.

If you really want a fireplace, get a gas-fired one and save a few trees.

Agree with both statements minus the fact that the wood burning in my fireplace was already cut, removing trees from neighborhoods like Atherton that are expanding their homes, vacation homes, etc.