Ethical and environmentally friendly???

[King Erik the 14th]

Hi all,
I don't consider myself to be a "Greenie" but I try to do the right thing. Recently I saw a box of charcoal in my local supermarket, $10 for 10kg, so I thought I would give it a try. It was only when I got home that I realised it was imported from a mangrove in Thailand. Up until now I have been buying locally produced mallee. Apart from the fact that I would prefer to buy Australian, that got me wondering if my charcoal is coming from a sustainable resource, was it ethical and environmentally friendly? Then I started to wonder what is the most environmentally friendly BBQ fuel?
I don't lay awake at night thinking of these things, but does anyone have some thoughts?
Regards,
David

ps most of my cooking is done in a Kamado, but I'm interested in all BBQ fuels

[Davo]

I reckon its got to be wood pellets which are pretty much compressed sawdust made into pellets.
In most cases the sawdust coming from sawmills is buried into landfill, this way its put to good use in either wood pellet cookers or pellet heaters.
Cheers
Davo

[urbangriller]

Are we talking: Where the fuel comes from, or what it does when it's burnt? Presumably both?

Chris

[King Erik the 14th]

Anything really: where it comes from, what it does, how much you need, recycled, sustainable, or anything else ...

[emberpak]

I'd say from most environmentally friendly to least would be:

Wood Pellets
Coconut/Sawdust Briquettes
Lump Charcoal
Heat Beads

Of course, this is ignoring where the product comes from and assuming that the ingredients are sourced ethically and sustainably.

[emberpak]

Really couldn't say. Perhaps an electric BBQ would be the friendliest, since it doesn't emit any smoke or carbon monoxide like a solid fuel/gas BBQ?

[yakabot]

But if you're talking full environmental impact, electric needs power stations. ?

[Jester]

Australian electricity is still around 90% fossil fuel powered.

Interestingly, it doesn't take much to convert a coal power station to wood burning. They're doing a lot in Europe, where they burn byproducts like rubber and palm trees - anything renewable because it attracts less tax

[emberpak]

But if you're talking full environmental impact, electric needs power stations. ?

True. However, all solid fuels (except lump) require electricity to be manufactured. Too many variables to take into account; from raw material to end product and final usage. You would need to review not only the materials used in the product, but also the entire supply chain, to determine which has the least impact. And of course, you would need to remove any anomalies or outliers; eg the backwoods guy who manufactures wood pellets using a hand press and sawdust from the shavings of his wood carvings made from fallen trees.

The pic of the solar powered bbq would be have the least impact, however your food won't have that great bbq taste... but at least you will have a great tan!!