For “green” grilling pleasure, you can avoid petroleum completely if you use a metal charcoal chimney with wood briquettes.

Gas grills, most charcoal, and lighter fluid, are made with petroleum, a non-renewable resource that is neurotoxic and causes toxic air pollution (as well as untold harm during an oil spill).

With charcoal metal chimneys you fill the cylinder with charcoal, scrunch newspaper under the charcoal in the special housing for this purpose, and then light the newspaper to heat up the coals. Once the coals are red hot you turn over the cylinder and pour the coals into the bed of the grill.You can buy a charcoal chimney for under $20 at most hardware stores, and reuse it for years. All you need to light the charcoal are some old newspapers and matches.

Search for 100 percent hardwood briquettes. Make sure that there are no chemicals added.

Never burn charcoal inside as it releases carbon monoxide that can kill you!