Roaring flames, rare meat, and inebriation is how many Americans show their patriotism on 4th of July.
Before the fireworks, be sure your backyard fire works in an ecological way.
1.) Grill gear
Best to worst: solar, electric, propane, wood, charcoal
Wood and carbonized wood (aka charcoal) are the worst fuel options for air quality and deforestation.
Laundry day in Peru happened to be the day I discovered how charcoal is made: a tree was missing and my whites were ashen. Lump charcoal requires burning a tree and more greenhouse gas emissions just to make the cooking fuel, so double the fire and double the smoke.
Self-starting charcoal briquettes are the worst for chemical load. Starch and borax make them into uniform squares, and either sodium nitrate or petroleum-based lighter fluid is an igniter.
BBQ purists seeking the smoky hickory or mesquite flavor without the carbon monoxide, soot, and ground-level ozone emissions from burning wood can season with chef-approved liquid smoke or smoked spices (paprika, chipotle peppers). For sustainable forestry, look for charcoal or wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or Rainforest Alliance.
Cleaner-burning and less harmful grills are powered by propane or electricity; even better if it can run off the sun.
2.) Fire up
A grill-out is basically a confined campfire, so get the flame going the same way: with easily flammable newspaper or dry twigs.
Don’t use charcoal lighter fluid: it’s a petroleum distillate and releases damaging Volatile Organic Compounds and carcinogens. The chemical fumes are nauseating and the taste will permeate your meal–yuck.
3.) Now We’re Cooking
Livestock production is responsible for wildlife extinction, climate change (18% of global greenhouse gas emissions), and myriad ecosystem damage.
Consider piling more veggie options on the grill for less of an environmental impact than beef burgers:
Mediterranean: a salad of grilled Portobello mushrooms, zucchini, and eggplant with cherry tomatoes, basil, and feta cheese
Tropical: skewers of pineapple, red bell pepper, and chicken or tofu
Mexican: grilled corn spiced with lemon juice, cilantro, and chili powder
Buy the veggies loose at a farmer’s market, rather than pre-packaged at the grocery store, for no plastic wrap and styrofoam trays to bulk up your trash.
Protein-packed vegetarian side dishes that together can constitute a main course:
baked beans egg salad hummus and pita
cold pasta salad pickled okra new potato salad
If a 4th of July cookout without meat to you is like a dud firecracker (a lot of show but no sizzle), know that sizzling is a bigger health problem than ringing ears. Dripping polyunsaturated fatty acids from barbequing meat releases organic particulate matter into the air–it was the source of Houston’s haze.
Choose poultry or locally produced lean-cut meats:
chicken cuts grilled shrimp
salmon patties turkey sausages
4.) Pile it up
The ‘B’ in BYOB at many BBQs is up for individual interpretation, but for an eco outing make it be for ‘breakable dish’ (the odds it actually breaks goes up with the more of other Bs: beer).
We covered why not to use disposable paper or styrofoam plates, and the greener cutlery options, back in Memorial Day’s blog.
5.) Clean-up
Have a compost bin set up by the prep table for the veggie scraps. If you burned wood, collect the ashes from the grill and sprinkle on acidic soil to neutralize the pH.
Use a baking soda paste and wire brush to wipe off the grill, instead of harsh chemical cleaners.
Sit back and enjoy free evening entertainment with the display of fireworks, or lightning bugs the rest of the summer.
Carrie is an environmental educator, anthropologist, and translator. She took her passions for ecological, health, and women’s rights advocacy from the offices of Washington, D.C. to the streets of South America. Now in Colombia, she is slowly opening women’s eyes to the wonders of “la copita de luna” (Moon Cup) and Keepers.
