It’s the best season of all—barbeque season! And this year, we’re grilling green! What does that mean? We’re going to look at what we grill, how we grill, how we serve and clean up!

According to a UK study a typical summer barbeque for 4 people will release more carbon dioxide than an 80-mile (129 KM) car journey. Kind of crazy when you think about it in those terms. But you know me, I’ve got some tips and tricks to help lower our carbon footprints.

Grill 

Let’s tackle the grill! There are gas, charcoal, electric and even solar grill options.

Nothing says BBQ like an old school charcoal grill with lighter fluid and your dad burning the burgers. As fun as that is and as many memories it brings back, it’s the worst option out there! A charcoal grill will generate 3 times the amount of greenhouse gas compared to a natural gas grill.

The most eco-friendly option is a solar-powered grill that uses the sun’s energy instead of charcoal. The issue is that they’re pretty hard to find, so your next best bet is to get yourself an outdoor electric grill.

Now I know, some hardcore BBQ fans that are married to charcoal grills—I get it, I get it! Might I suggest an alternative charcoal? Look for lump charcoal—it burns longer, and you will use less of it. Lump charcoal will also produce less ash!

One of the best on the market is, Big Green Egg lump charcoal. 100% natural product contains no filler, no chemicals or petroleum! And it’s naturally Canadian!

Food 

My next tip is to make plants the star of the show because emissions from meat consumption are 50% higher than from vegetables. Everybody wants to come over for a steak, and they’ll get a steak – my famous cauliflower steak. Portobello mushroom steaks are so 2020.

Here’s how to make it!

1.  First, you’ll want to cut your cauliflower like this—you want it to be about a few centimeters thick.
2. Vegetarians and vegans always struggle a little during BBQ season, but not this year! This is the easiest plant-based hack—I use salad dressings as a marinade. I take this it’s a plant- based Grapefruit Ginger salad dressing and let it marinate for about 15 minutes because with a veggie steak it’s all about the flavour.
3. Once they are all marinated, pop them on the grill for about 20 minutes.

Salad dressing as marinade is my favourite cooking hack. I’m not a chef, but I’m a busy mom trying to save the planet one veggie at a time!

Serving 

Let’s take a look at how we’re serving. I don’t understand why eating outdoors always means plastic or Styrofoam! There are great compostable plates, glasses and cutlery options out there.

I’m a thrifter, so I keep a set of thrifted dishes, this is a set that I won’t miss if there’s an accident. Things happen, we move on! I’ve got plates, glasses, and silverware, and to top it all off – cloth napkins! No single-use plastic in sight!

But really,  it’s just about having fun, trying to make as many little changes as we can and just really enjoying the BBQ season—because we know it goes by too fast!