Yesterday Recycla wrote about how it can be a challenge to “green” the people you live with. They agree in theory that doing better for the environment is a good thing, but in practice they still toss their recyclables into the trash and leave TV sets on throughout the house. Enviro Girl lives with this kind of person and it has taken patience to change them.
One such matter took place over a year ago when Enviro Girl suggested that, while she loves being a carnivore and a steak grilled over charcoal briquettes is a culinary masterpiece, perhaps the Grill Master should ditch the lighter fluid. Lighter fluid is basically gas–petroleum–packaged in a petroleum-based plastic bottle. It’s not a healthy choice for the environment and at $9.00 for a 64 oz. bottle, it’s expensive. Liquid lighter fluid also gives off emissions, half of which are purely due to evaporation before you even set a match to those briquettes, according to a 1990 EPA report.
Enviro Girl and her Grill Master watch the Food Network and saw many of the chefs using a chimney starter. Enviro Girl asked her Grill Master if that wouldn’t be a preferable way to grill–the professionals use them, why shouldn’t he? But the Grill Master adheres to the BLTC philosophy (Better Living Through Chemicals), and besides, he has always grilled using lighter fluid.
Disregarding his protest, Enviro Girl ordered the Grill Master a chimney starter for his birthday. For $15.00 (about the cost of two bottles of lighter fluid) she purchased a heavy-duty metal chimney starter with a wooden handle. The chimney starter is a cinch to work–you simply crumple up some old newspaper and place it in the bottom of the chimney, then place your coals on top. Openings at the bottom of the tube allow you to set a match to the newspaper and the Laws of Physics then go into play, setting fire to the charcoal briquettes. Once the briquettes are ready (a couple of minutes later), you grab the handle and pull the chimney up, allowing the briquettes to fall into a neat pile in the bottom of your back yard Weber.
The Grill Master was miffed by the gift and snubbed it. But Enviro Girl didn’t buy lighter fluid ever again and eventually he ran out and necessity forced his hand. Reader, two days ago the Grill Master confessed that he loves his chimney starter–loves how it’s easy to use, it works quickly (no restarting the flame, no adding more lighter fluid and lighting another match). The chimney starter costs nothing to use and it doesn’t smell like lighter fluid. It’s mess-free and uncomplicated. The Grill Master became convert to the chimney starter.
Make your back yard charcoal grill more environmentally friendly by using a chimney starter instead of lighter fluid. Make your family more environmentally friendly by gifting them the right “green” tools. Trust the Eco Women–it really works.
Tell us, reader. Do you grill with charcoal? Do you use a chimney starter?
We’ve used a chimney starter for years with fine results. A No Brainer.
I’m glad that worked out so well. We’re gas grill people, so lighter fluid, charcoal, and chimney starters are unnecessary for us.