What do you picture when you think about summer barbeques? If visions of greasy burgers, CO2-emitting charcoal and trash bags filled with disposable plates, napkins and wasted food come to mind, here are some green tips to celebrate this seasonal milestone with respect for Mother Nature.

The centerpiece of any good BBQ is the grill, so invest in an eco-friendly one. What are your greenest options? Gas and charcoal versions both have their drawbacks: gas grills rely on non-renewable resources, while charcoal grills release carbon dioxide into the air. Although less conventional, a solar cooker is the greenest choice.

Keep the mosquitoes at bay naturally with citronella soy candles.

The arduous post-barbeque clean-up may tempt you to buy disposable plates and utensils, but that’s no excuse to be wasteful. Get your friends to help out with the mess and stick with reusable plates and utensils (if you must go the disposable route, try the eco-friendlier VerTerra).

Instead of tossing food scraps into the trash, compost them.

What’s the best solution for sticky BBQ fingers, besides licking them clean? A warm, moist cloth, of course. Besides the fact that they’re wasteful, disposable napkins aren’t quite up to the task at hand, anyways.

Recycle all bottles and cans.

Buy organic produce from your local farmers market.

Since the meat industry is responsible for nearly a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions, consider throwing a vegetarian barbeque. (Check out Sarah’s list of delicious meat alternatives.) If you can’t imagine a barbeque without burgers and chicken, make sure you’re grilling organic, local meat. (And wash down your grilled goodies with some organic beer.)

Decorate your table with placemats or a table runner made from organic, vintage or upcycled materials.

Don’t forget efficient, earth-friendly outdoor lighting.

Image: _dominic

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My environmental cop husband gripes that everything portable that touches our girls’ mouths is made of plastic, from yogurt tubes and Vitamin Water bottles to the spoons I throw in their vinyl lunch boxes.

But recently he turned me on to cutlery made of corn starch, biodegradable spoons, forks and knives that are even wrapped in compostable bags made from corn starch or paper bags made from recycled cotton fibers.

The sets of eco-friendly picnicware are available by the case (250 packs of assorted utensils) for around $36 at WorldCentric. Smaller packs are available as well (50 for $2.75).

These work well for moms packing hot soups or pasta in metal to-go bowls. Plastic ware should not be exposed to heat. But the corn starch alternative doesn’t release the toxic chemicals. And with some Verterra plates and bowls, you really can’t go anything but green these days.

Image: onico

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When you think of eco friendly plates and bowls, what comes to mind? Pale, pasty, meek little things, that melt at the slightest hint of heat, and never mind going anywhere near an oven. And have you tried to actually compost or biodegrade one?

Generally there’s a disconnect between the green dream and the reality, since they often require special conditions/facilities to properly do the job, and even then, they take a fair amount of time.

What to do?

Verterra seems to have gone down the list of how to make the best possible green plates, bowls and platters, and done it all. They make them from palm leaves. Fallen palm leaves. They pay their workers a living wage. They use only steam and chilling to make them, tempering them, which makes them super sturdy. The middle layer of leaves is sappy, replacing the usual binder (aka glue) used on other green plates to give them form.

Since they’re made only from leaves and steam, they compost and biodegrade fast, as you’d expect. And Verterra have had that officially verified. It’s official, they rule the school when it comes to speediness on this front. This one quote says it best, ” VerTerra dinnerware breaks down 150% above the standard in 2/3 the time. ”

In a road test of my own, I ate chili, spaghetti, and other messy meals in one of their bowls. Yes, they’re washable and reusable. Several times! They came through just fine, ready for more. And as you can see from the pictures, they’re quite easy on the eyes, looking almost like wood.

Their new Signature line really ups aesthetics, nicely curved, modern looking, with small touches like a line around the edge. Apparently they’re on to something as I’ve been told they’re already back-ordered into March! Get on the list now so you can get this lovely compostable dinnerware yourself.

This is a guest post by Paul Smith of GreenSmithConsulting. Follow him on Twitter.

Images: Theodore Samuels

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