Who doesn’t love the smell, sound and heat from a crackling fireplace on a cold winter’s day? While it may not be the most efficient way to heat a home, it sure is nice. To maximize the potential of your fireplace, consider investing in something called a C-shaped metal tube grate. It holds the firewood, but it’s designed to draw cool air from the room into the tubes and circulate hot air from the fire back into the room. There’s no special assembly to use it; it comes fully assembled, and you simply place it inside your fireplace.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

When choosing flights for travel, there are a few things you can do to minimize your environmental impact. One thing is to choose nonstop flights; multiple flights with connections or layovers contribute more air pollution. But here’s one you may not have heard of: Avoid red-eye or nighttime flights. The pollution emitted from planes at night has a more detrimental impact on the environment. Scientists have found that CO2 emissions at night aren’t offset by their “tendency to reflect incoming sunlight,” so they are basically twice as bad for the atmosphere.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

One way to help combat hunger is to donate needed shelf-stable foods to your local food bank. While it’s nice to clear your cupboards, it’s even nicer to buy items they really need to help serve the community. The top items include peanut butter (long shelf life, high in protein), low-sugar cereal (high in fiber, long shelf life), canned fruit (kid-friendly and nutritious), pasta (long shelf life, full of fiber and versatile) and most important, canned meat. If you buy one thing in bulk, consider canned tuna or chicken, since both are high in protein, do not need to be refrigerated and can easily be distributed to those in need.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION