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Evaluate the total "cost of ownership" Posted by Bill Homer [Email] (#3427) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Bill Homer) on Thu, 7 May 2009 12:04:48 In Reply to: Can I BBQ and be green?, Mike Lynch [Profile/Gallery] , Thu, 7 May 2009 11:41:33 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
As with cars, you need to evaluate the "total cost of ownership" of a new grill, especially the relatively huge amounts added pollution that will be released in mining, processing, forming and shipping the iron/steel that will be used to create a new gas grill vs. keeping what you already have and enjoy. I have to think that this additional carbon footprint more than outweighs whatever small amount of smoke you will generate using the charcoal Weber. Also note that burning natural gas or propane (and the polution used to obtain it) will add to your carbon footprint in amounts similar to burning charcoal (both are combining a hydrocarbon with oxygen to produce heat while releasing CO2), so the savings are not as dramatic as it would seem. I make this same argument when I park my 1994 SAAB 9000 in a spot designated "For Low Emissions Vehicles Only" at a local green organization's parking lot (lots of Prius owners there, varying responses when I steal "their" spaces).
I also recommend that you get a "starter chimney" to light the charcoal; the Weber version is more expensive but holds up better than the cheapies (I've been through a few). It uses two sheets of old newspaper to light a bucket of charcoal - how eco-friendly is that?
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