Green Grilling - How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Everyone talks about global warming and other environmental issues these
days. Quite rightly too - the current trend in Global Warming may well be
natural, or it could be human driven. Who knows? The answer is no-one for
definite but can we take the risk. If it is natural and we all reduce our carbon
footprint then great, it will hopefully put itself right faster. If it is humans
that are the cause, then great, if we are proactive then hopefully at some
point, it will be put right and the climate will return to normal. In other
words, being environmentally aware and reducing your carbon footprint leads to a
win-win situation.
But before you learn how to become a 'Green Griller', remember to
sign up for our free "Tip of the Week" (use
the orange box on the top right),
customized tips and information straight from The Grilling Coach, Richard Myers
-- Grill Master.
So how can we grillers contribute? Is it worth it? Of course it is worth it -
your individual contribution is miniscule but when you think of millions making
small contributions, then hey, we've got something good happening.
So, if you are a charcoal griller, the benefits are that you are using
current carbon and your grilling equipment uses fewer resources to make it. So I
guess that is fairly green to start with. But there are still steps you can take
to reduce your impact on the environment. The charcoal has to have come from
somewhere, check out your favourite brand and find its origins, use charcoal
from a sustainable source, even if it costs more - saving the planet is not
always about saving money! Some charcoal is made from recycled wood rather than
wood that is deliberately cut for the purpose of producing it. If you are
tempted to buy a disposable grill - DON'T. They are incredibly wasteful of
resources.
Always use lump charcoal, other types contain chemical binders which, when
burned, release polluting chemicals into the air - remember also that these will
be absorbed into your food so it is healthier for you as well as healthier for
the environment. When you start up your charcoal, avoid the use of lighting
fluids and self lighting charcoal as these release complex petrochemical
by-products into the atmosphere and your food. Light your charcoal naturally or
using and electric charcoal starter.
But the gas grill is potentially less polluting overall, especially if you
get one that runs of natural gas. That is the simplest fuel of all and burns the
cleanest. Oh sure, it will create the dreaded carbon dioxide, the most well
known of the greenhouse gases, but at least it does not produce the more complex
combustion products of other grill fuels. The gas grill will also cost more,
environmentally speaking, but it has the potential to last a lifetime, if you
look after it and store it carefully. When you consider the exctraction and
processing of the raw materials, the manufacture, transport and packaging of the
components, the assembly of the unit and the subsequent packaging, transport and
other peripherals such as advertising, you can see that each grill has a big
impact on the planet. Oh, and then there is the disposal, transporting
(hopefully) to the recycling centre, the actual recycling and subsequent re-use
of the recycled materials all has a further impact. The less disposal that is
done, the better it will be for the environment. So whilst a charcoal griller
will generally wear out several grills in a lifetime, a gas griller will
probably not need to replace it. Repair it maybe but that is much more
environmentally friendly - reduces landfill and reduces the demand on the
resources of the planet. So spend a bit more when you buy the grill, get the
best you can afford and it will save you and the planet in the long term.
Preheat times waste fuel, the shorter the preheat time, the less fuel is
wasted. So leave your grill, whether it is on gas or charcoal, for the minimum
possible preheat time. Better for the environment and better for the purse!
Grease and other burnt on food residues will release un-necessary smoke so
make sure that whatever your grill type, keep it clean. Cleaning it when it is
still warm makes life easier, so to save re-heating it the next day, which is an
unnecessary waste of fuel, clean it straight after the party, while the food
residues are still soft and easier to remove. Take care of course not to burn
yourself!! Even trimming off the excess fat before grilling will help, it will
reduce smoke during the cooking and will reduce the amount cleaning afterwards!
Great!
We will now move on to the other aspect of grilling - the food. How and where
you buy food has a great impact on the environment.
The way you buy your food for the grill is another way that you can
contribute. Not everyone has a backyard big enough to grow veg but you only need
a window ledge to grow some salad leaves for the accompaniment or garnish. Buy
meat from a local butcher, who gets his meat from local farms, if you must buy
ready made burgers and stuff, check that it was not grown in South America where
the rainforests are still being cleared to increase the production of beef. Buy
veg from a local store instead of a supermarket, the veg has probably not been
transported as far and will almost certainly not have been packaged. Produce in
a supermarket that is labeled 'locally produced' may be labeled legally, but
will often have traveled half way across the country to a central store, where
is has been stored, packaged, possibly irradiated and then sent back! Pretty
environmentally unfriendly really. If it is not completely impractical, e.g. you
live out of town, walk to the local stores to buy the food for your grilling
party. Not only will it save fuel, reduce pollution and save you cash, it will
also help you to become a little fitter.
Just going back a little to the packaging issue mentioned in the last
paragraph. Why is packaging so bad? For a start it is unnecessary. Veg grow in
the ground or in the air so why do they need to be wrapped up? They don't. It is
a convenience for the supermarkets. Period. Packaging requires energy and
resources to produce, energy and resources are then needed to package the
individual items. What a waste of stuff that could be put to better use. Where
does packaging go when you dispose of it? Some is recycled but if it was not
necessary in the first place that is another complete waste of energy and
resources, it has to be transported and processed so recycling isn't really that
green, but it makes people feel they are doing their bit. Don't buy packaged
stuff in the first place - now that IS green! Have you got the guts to do that
or are you sticking with the masses? What about meat and fish I hear you say,
surely that needs packaging? No way, what's wrong with taking your own container
and using that instead of getting it trussed up at the supermarket. Perhaps we
are becoming lazy, or even embarrassed to do the right thing, in case we get
labeled as being odd.
So to sum up, every griller can do their bit to help combat air pollution and
other environmental issues, individually you will have little impact but if the
whole grilling community acts, then between us, we can make a difference.
Remember also that these principles can easily be applied to buying food for
everyday meals too and that will have an even greater impact. Do you have the
will to get involved or will you just sit back and leave it to others? C'mon
grillers, don't be apathetic, let 's do
it!
While you're here, remember to sign
up for our free "Tip of the Week" (use the
orange box on the top right),
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-- Grill Master.
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