Earlier, I blogged about pollution-curbing firewood alternatives suitable for indoor fireplaces. If you're somewhere where you can still relax outside in the evening hours without having to don multiple layers but still need a lil' extra warmth, green architect/ designer extraordinaire Michelle Kaufmann has a fun and inexpensive idea: construct a DIY outdoor fireplace with a sturdy container made from something like metal or ceramics, a bunch of stones, and a few canisters of clean-burning, biodegradable eco-fuel. One or two would look killer on a back porch, patio, or in a garden. 

 

Although the result isn't exactly roaring, it's a far safer, less laborious project than digging a fire pit in your backyard and much cheaper than buying an outdoor eco-fireplace. 

 

See Michelle build and enjoy a fireplace-in-a-can below. Do you have any inexpensive, earth-safe outdoor fireplace projects you'd like to share?