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OK, so this is straying pretty far from the original topic, but:
And ultimately once you bought a charcoal grill any claims of environmental responsibility were lost
OK, I've never understood this one. Charcoal grills burn charcoal, which is in effect wood. When the tree that wood came from grew, it sequestered some atmospheric carbon. When you burn it, you release most of that carbon back into the atmosphere. Roughly zero-sum, you're not adding anything to the carbon cycle. Gas grills while probably more energy-efficient, burn a fossil fuel. Any carbon they release into the atmosphere adds to the overall free carbon in the world: not zero-sum.
Admittedly charcoal produces more particulates, but from a carbon footprint point of view I just don't understand the charcoal haters. Can someone enlighten me?
