The barbecue season is in full swing.
But even when grilling, harmful CO2 is released into the atmosphere and pollutes the environment.
How you can make a barbecue evening healthier and more sustainable is shown by the following tips, which the Bruck District Office has compiled.
Fürstenfeldbruck - Instead of a disposable grill, a reusable grill should be used.
These are already available in handy sizes so that nothing stands in the way of a spontaneous barbecue party.
The manufacturing process of the aluminum shell alone, which is mainly used in disposable grills, causes high levels of climate-damaging CO2.
Aluminum foils and aluminum grill trays should generally also be avoided for health reasons, according to the district office in a message.
Under the influence of acid and salt, aluminum can migrate to food.
Instead of aluminum trays, leaves of cabbage or chard could be the ecologically and health-free alternative to keep grilled products from being too hot or from falling through the wire shelf.
On the subject of charcoal
Charcoal grills in particular enjoyed great popularity, as this is where the typical roasted and smoke notes are formed, which give the grilled food the right grill aroma.
Careless grilling, however, runs the risk of carcinogenic pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - PAH for short) being formed.
As soon as fat drips from the grilled food into the embers, the pollutants could form, which are deposited with the smoke in the food.
This can be avoided by using an indirect grill method.
For this purpose, the food should not be placed directly over the heat source, but offset to the side.
Gas or electric - and the solar grill?
Gas and electric grills are a much healthier variant. They also offer the advantage that they can be regulated. In this way, the energy consumption can be reduced compared to a charcoal grill. If the electric grill is operated with green electricity, this also reduces emissions. The smoke development is also significantly lower with an electric grill, so that it can also be used on the balcony. If you use a solar grill, you can grill without any additional emissions. The devices are very mobile and are suitable for hiking or other outdoor experiences. Since some devices also store solar energy, barbecues can also be carried out at night, according to the district office in the message.
If you don't want to do without a charcoal grill, you should use charcoal with certificates for sustainable forestry such as Naturland, FSC or Bio-Siegel.
These ensure that the wood used comes from sustainable forest management and not from valuable tropical forests.
According to the Federal Environment Agency, almost every second charcoal contains wood from tropical forests.
It is therefore worth looking at the corresponding seal, according to the district authority.
Beef, pork or vegan?
According to a study by TÜV Rheinland, it is not the way of grilling that is decisive in terms of CO2 emissions, but the food being grilled. The production of the individual grills, the production of the grill products, the grilling itself and the disposal of the grills were all considered. Up to 95 percent of the climate-relevant emissions were caused by the food being grilled. Beef in particular is harmful to the climate, with emissions of 2.9 kilograms of CO2 equivalent per 200 grams of grilled meat and grilled cheese (1.9 kg of CO2 per 200 grams). Pork and sausages fared significantly cheaper. One should pay attention to organic quality. For the sake of the environment, it is best to grill vegan. Compared to grilling with meat, only a fifth of harmful greenhouse gases are released. Mushrooms are particularly suitable as grilled vegetables,green asparagus, corn or sweet potatoes, as they contain little water. Firm vegetables such as peppers or aubergines develop better in terms of taste when they are marinated.
More tips:
Reduce smoke by using a chimney fire and ensuring good ventilation.
Do not use alcohol and chemical lighters, instead use cardboard or plant-based lighters (here too, at best, make sure you have FSC certification).
Avoid rubbish by using reusable dishes.
Use mustard.
Thanks to essential oils, this stimulates digestion and can reduce pollutants.
The blacker the food, the more heterocyclic aromatic amines.
These are suspected of being cancerous.
So cut off black areas generously.
Dispose of the charcoal ash in the general waste.
The ashes contain concentrated amounts of heavy metals from air pollution that have been taken up by the trees and are therefore not suitable for composting.