Care for the environment while cooking outdoors

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and our backyards are no longer masked by a thick blanket of unwanted snow. It's summertime, at long last, and most of us can't wait to get on the grill.

Barbecuing is a fave past-time for many Canadians. With a cold cup of sangria in one hand, and a perfectly roasted hot dog in the other, many Canadians will spend multiple summer nights snacking and 'quing away the season. What they don't know is that BBQ'ing is actually quite dangerous for the environment. In fact, according to Sierra magazine, "the estimated 60 million barbecues held on the Fourth of July in the United States alone consume enough energy in the forms of charcoal, lighter fluid, gas and electricity to power 20,000 households for a year."

It's wasteful, unnecessary, and certainly not eco-friendly. Don't fret though. You can still think 'green' while you get those burgers brown.

One of the biggest factors in grilling green is the fuel source being used. Of course, all grilling fuels both use natural resources and emit pollutants into the environment. However, some are much worse than others. Charcoal grills and lighter fluids contribute more significantly to ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone is produced when a combination of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic chemicals meet in warm weather conditions. Carbon monoxide production is also not ideal when going green, and charcoal products produce carbon monoxide at a much higher rate than some of the other options.

The obvious answer? Gas grills. But, even though gas grills offer one of the fasted ways to barbecue, they are seriously expensive.

So, what is both cheap and green and goes well with a beer? Sounds like a riddle, but really, one such innovation is the FlameDisk a charcoal alternative made from solid ethanol, a renewable biofuel. Food made atop a FlameDisk tastes just the same as charcoal-grilled food, however this eco-friendly grill fuel emits 99 percent less carbon monoxide and 91 percent fewer VOCs (volatile organic compounds). And as an added plus, the byproducts created when ethanol is burned include only water and a very little, and we're talking very small, amount of carbon dioxide.

Finally, for the barbecuer on a budget, good old wood is another green fuel option. Ash from wood can be disposed of in your flower or produce garden, and is a greener option when obtained from a sustainable source like hickory or mesquite. Unlike wood ashes, charcoal remains are not garden friendly disposables.

While charcoal used to reign supreme, there's no reason the modern-day barbecue can't aid you in your mission to go green. Of course, nobody expects you to cook your Thanksgiving turkey in a solar oven, but charring your summer fare, real wiener or tofu, in an eco-friendly manner couldn't hurt either.