This past holiday weekend I sat in my backyard and took in the aromas of the food that was grilling from my neighbors backyards, along with the “wonderful” scent of charcoal and lighter fluid. It got me thinking, if we spray the charcoal with lighter fluid, does it go onto our food? And what about gas grills? My husband prefers gas, but I know several of my friends are charcoal purists. So what’s more eco-friendly?
The Sierra Club’s website estimates there are on average 60 million BBQ’s held on the Fourth of July holiday that consume enough energy to power 20,000 households for a year. ‘That one day,’says Tristram West, a research scientist with the U.S. Department of Energy, ‘burns the equivalent of 2,300 acres of forest and releases 225,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. ”
When you slather on the lighter fluid, a petroleum distillate, it gives off VOC’s (volatile organic chemicals) contributing to smog. A more eco-friendly way to light your charcoal is with a chimney starter which uses newspaper to light up your grill. Another option is an electric grill starter.
And for the purists out there who love the flavor charcoal gives their food, I hope you like the taste of borax, coal dust, sodium nitrate, limestone, and starch with your food because that’s what you’re getting from the cheap charcoal bought at the supermarket. There are brands made without chemicals and additives such as lump charcoal that’s harvested from sustainable wood, or pillow shaped briquettes which are made from scrap wood without the nasty additives. You can usually find eco-friendly charcoal at Whole Foods Markets or Safeway. Check your local natural food store or online retailers for options also.
For all the griller’s like my husband, gas or electric is the most eco-friendly. These burn cleaner and leave a smaller carbon footprint than the above options. Plus they use less energy than a cooktop or range oven.
There are also solar powered grills available on the market from Swiss-based Tammock Trading & Marketing and Sun Ovens International.
This past holiday weekend I sat in my backyard and took in the aromas of the food that was grilling from my neighbors backyards, along with the “wonderful” scent of charcoal and lighter fluid. It got me thinking, if we spray the charcoal with lighter fluid, does it go onto our food? And what about gas grills? My husband prefers gas, but I know several of my friends are charcoal purists. So what’s more eco-friendly?
The Sierra Club’s website estimates there are on average 60 million BBQ’s held on the Fourth of July holiday that consume enough energy to power 20,000 households for a year. ‘That one day,’says Tristram West, a research scientist with the U.S. Department of Energy, ‘burns the equivalent of 2,300 acres of forest and releases 225,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. ”
When you slather on the lighter fluid, a petroleum distillate, it gives off VOC’s (volatile organic chemicals) contributing to smog. A more eco-friendly way to light your charcoal is with a chimney starter which uses newspaper to light up your grill. Another option is an electric grill starter.
And for the purists out there who love the flavor charcoal gives their food, I hope you like the taste of borax, coal dust, sodium nitrate, limestone, and starch with your food because that’s what you’re getting from the cheap charcoal bought at the supermarket. There are brands made without chemicals and additives such as lump charcoal that’s harvested from sustainable wood, or pillow shaped briquettes which are made from scrap wood without the nasty additives. You can usually find eco-friendly charcoal at Whole Foods Markets or Safeway. Check your local natural food store or online retailers for options also.
For all the griller’s like my husband, gas or electric is the most eco-friendly. These burn cleaner and leave a smaller carbon footprint than the above options. Plus they use less energy than a cooktop or range oven.
There are also solar powered grills available on the market from Swiss-based Tammock Trading & Marketing and Sun Ovens International.