Green Grilling Part 2 - Environmental Considerations When Buying Food

In the first of this two part series of articles entitled "How you Can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint" we considered how the use of the grill impacts the environment and simple ways in which a backyard griller can reduce their impact on the environment by thinking more carefully about the way they use their grill. 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. &nbspVeg 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!