Barbecue season is back after months of pan-frying, baking, sautéing and boiling indoors. Any type of "real" cooking is going to have at least some impact on the environment, whether it be flipping on the stove or lighting up the barbecue. However now that the warmer months are upon us it would be naive to expect you to keep your barbecue turned off. Let's be honest, when the weather is so hot you can cook an egg on the sidewalk (come to think of it. that's green cooking!), you're not likely going to want to switch on your oven. I made the mistake of baking cookies on one of the hottest days of the summer when I was 13 and still hear about it from my parents who walked into the house after work and were convinced the only explanation of heat that extreme was that devil had taken up residence in the living room.

You may not be able to grill with absolutely no emissions unless you really do try to cook your organic steaks on the sidewalk, but there are other ways you can minimize the impact of firing up the barbecue this summer.

- Charcoal grilling may make your meat taste like a little piece of heaven, but it's hell on earth. Charcoal releases more carbon monoxide, particulate matter and soot into the air than any other method of grilling.

"Charcoal grills and lighter fluid also contribute more to ground-level ozone, which is produced when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic chemicals [VOCs] combine in hot weather conditions," says Ana Gomez, of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

You're better off using propane or electricity, which burn cleaner than charcoal.

- When fat from meat and fish drips onto hot coals, they produce carcinogenic hydrocarbons and puts them right back onto your food thanks to smoke and flame-ups. Choose lean meats and trim the fat from anything you cook to avoid a carcinogenic treat.

- If you're addicted to the smoky flavor created by charcoal, use lump charcoal as opposed to briquettes, which are made of wood scraps and sawdust from lumber mills, but usually contain coal dust and other additives that help them light more easily.

"Lump charcoal comes from a genuine tree and isn't ground up or processed in any way," explains Rob Bailis, a PhD student in the University of California at Berkeley's Energy and Resources Group.

You can also counteract the effects of grilling by finding ways to minimize your impact in other areas. Say by using a Tera cotta beer chiller instead of the fridge to keep your refreshments cold. Plus that means you can keep it nice and close and don't have to go tromping inside the house every time you need another drink. Now that's smart thinking.

» Sierra Club