On a hot summer afternoon in 2003, MAK celebrated its arrival to the Davis remodeling world with an ice cream party in the yard outside of corporate headquarters, a newly renovated 1964 Safari Airstream
trailer. The Airstream still shines in the driveway at 1010 E. 8th St., but MAK has since moved to an office big enough to contain more than our original staff of three. Though the move has placed us in the Downtown Davis business community, and we certainly enjoy having a work place big enough to roll out a set of plans, our growth as a company has always been focused on ways to better serve our clients and our community. And, like any five-year old, we know that the best is yet to come.

Green my grill by Anthony Anderson
In 2003, Oakridge National Laboratory (ONL)
estimated that Americans grilling on the
July 4th holiday burned the equivalent of 2,300
acres of forest and consumed enough energy to
power the homes of Flagstaff, Arizona for an
entire year. The grills also emitted nearly 225,000
metric tons of carbon dioxide from production and
combustion of the fuel. While the emissions from
those grills are relatively insignificant in the battle
to reduce our growing footprint in America, there
are local air quality impacts and questions of embodied
energy that are worth looking at. The Air Resources Board
considers the pollutants coming from grills to be significant
enough to include grilling on their list of no-no’s for Spare the Air days.

Since we at MAK believe small changes can have big impacts, we decided to take a look
at how to GreenBQ. Here is some basic information to help you navigate the growing
debate on greening your grill.

Solar:
By far, the greenest grill is a solar cooker which has zero emissions and no consumable
fuels. You can’t exactly go down and pick one up at your local hardware store yet, but
there is a growing community of sun cooker chefs out there doing their part to change
that. A local talk on Solar Cooking is happening on Aug. 18 at the
Effie Yeaw Nature Center.

Gas:
Liquid propane or natural gas grills are by far the cleanest burning of the traditional
choices, emitting approximately 5.6 lbs. of carbon dioxide per hour according to ONL.
However, some folks are concerned that these grills are dependent on non-renewable
fossil fuels, and therefore the impact of their use is greater than a renewable, albeit
dirtier choice like charcoal.

Charcoal:
In addition to being full of unhealthy ingredients like sodium nitrates, borax, and
benzo(a)pyrene, traditional charcoal briquettes produce nearly twice as much carbon
dioxide (11 lbs. per hour) as a gas grill. Charcoal enthusiasts can make a healthier,
if not cleaner, choice by choosing natural or lump charcoal from sustainably managed
sources and using a chimney starter in lieu of lighter fluid.

Electric:
Although electric grills emit no carbon dioxide onsite, surprisingly the carbon dioxide
associated with the production and transit of the electricity required to power them is
estimated by ONL to be nearly 15 lbs. per hour, making them perhaps the worst
choice of all.

Regardless of your choice, buy a well made grill and keep it covered and well maintained.
Many low cost grills are designed and built to last 2-3 seasons before they completely fall
apart and all those ‘ques finding their way to the landfill may be the least green
component of all.

It is worth mentioning that the American Institute for Cancer Research has determined
that cooking meat with high heat causes carcinogenic compounds called HCAs and PAHs
which have been linked to increased risk for stomach and colon cancer. Using lean meat,
trimming fat and marinating all reduce the HCAs and PAHs that form during grilling.
Fruits and vegetables do not contain the proteins required to form HCAs and PAHs
mwhich make them very healthy choices when grilling.