Grill guilt, it's here.

Yes, despite the fact that your July 4th cookout is hopefully featuring locally sourced grassfed beef hamburgers, artisan baked buns and no spray corn on the cob (for us west-coasters at least), it turns out that the carbon footprint you've tried so hard to reduce goes up instantly in smoke when you fire up the BBQ grill. Es verdad.

According to the Sierra Club: "Nationwide, the estimated 60 million barbecues held on the Fourth of July alone consume enough energy — in the form of charcoal, lighter fluid, gas, and electricity — to power 20,000 households for a year. That one day of fun, food, and celebration, says Tristram West, a research scientist with the U.S. Department of Energy, burns the equivalent of 2,300 acres of forest and releases 225,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide."

Sorry to say, but I'm a fire snob, and as it turns out, charcoal grills give off more carbon monoxide, particulate matter, soot and smoke than gas or electric grills. Hey, but at least I'm using hardwood coals, which come from real trees. Those little pillow shaped briquets are a mash composed of wood scraps and coal. No big deal really until you consider that most coal comes from companies that blow off the tops of mountains just to get at it (see The Canary Project). Es verdad.

So what can you do to relieve grill guilt?. Well, I know I won't be driving on July 4th, which means I'm essentially trading my ozone polluting car for my ozone polluting grill. No points there. I don't however, use lighter fluid, like most of the briquet brigade does. So maybe I come out a little on the plus side. Just maybe.