We love to barbecue. And not just because we like to send a bunch of carbon emissions into the blue, clear sky on sustainable seafood and veggies.
Oh no... We're talking red meat.
I know. It's a horrible secret. But we're not alone. The Sierra Club tells me three out of four American households own a grill.
Nationwide, the estimated 60 million barbecues held on the Fourth of July alone consume enough energy—in the form of charcoal, lighter fluid, gas, and electricity—to power 20,000 households for a year.
Yikes. But here's a few hints to guilt-free grilling. Also, make sure you take your clean sheets off the line before your favorite family grill-master fires up the hardwood briquettes or you'll be sleeping with the aroma of your great smoky dinner.
Trust me. It's not as much fun as it sounds.
DONE: Ditch the VOC-laden lighter fluid for a chimney starter, which let's the head chef start the grill with just newspaper. It's a cost saver in the long run.
STILL WORKING: Buy locally raised meat. It typically has fewer issues with how they're raised and from long-distance shipping than those value packs of brats at your neighborhood superstore. This Times article has a good rundown of grilling a better burger. Don't forget that grilled veggies are pretty rockin'.
NOT GONNA HAPPEN: How about a solar ovens or stoves to avoid most emissions entirely. I'll go ahead and do this after my bio-plastic stock makes me a millionaire.
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