Grilling season is upon us. It’s also, quietly, a season with a real climate footprint—though not as much from the grill itself as you’d expect. Most of it comes from everything around the grill: the meat we overbuy, the sides that get scraped into the trash, the leftovers that don’t survive the week. A little more thought about what goes on the grate, and what happens after the fire goes out, can go a long way.
Consider your fuel source
Most of us don’t think much about the grill itself. You inherited it, or grabbed whatever was on sale, and the choice came down to flavor and convenience. Fair enough, but the fuel does matter.
The first peer-reviewed look at the carbon footprint of American grilling found a roughly 9 to 1 spread between the highest- and lowest-impact common setups, and the order was a little surprising. A typical gas grill came out worst, mostly because so much heat is wasted on long preheats and through an open lid, while wood pellet grills had the smallest impact. Charcoal briquettes, electric grills, and high-efficiency gas grills fell in the middle.
A few things worth knowing:
- Efficiency matters as much as fuel. Within the gas category alone, newer high-efficiency models have about half the emissions of older or less-insulated ones. Whatever grill you’re working with, preheating for less time, keeping the lid closed, and only using the burners you need can also reduce your emissions.
- Electric is often the greener choice, but how much depends on your zip code. A grill on the cleaner grids of New England or the Pacific Northwest runs on very different electricity than one in the coal-heavier Southeast. The EPA’s Power Profiler will tell you your local mix.
- Not all charcoal is the same. Standard American briquettes contain fossil coal as a heat additive, which drives most of their emissions. Lump charcoal, FSC-certified wood charcoal, and coal-free briquettes are cleaner.
- Skip the lighter fluid. A chimney starter and a sheet of newspaper light a fire faster and cut down on air pollutants.
Rethink the menu
What goes on the grill might matter more than the grill itself. Red meat like burgers, steaks, and lamb chops, might be the expected centerpiece, but it carries a hefty footprint.
Cattle and sheep, for example, produce methane as they digest, a gas roughly 80 times more potent than CO₂, and the EPA estimates livestock account for more than a quarter of US methane emissions. Per gram of protein, beef’s footprint is several times higher than pork or chicken, and an order of magnitude higher than beans, lentils, or tofu.
That doesn’t mean burgers are off the table. It means making red meat one option among several, rather than the default for everyone:
- Mix up the protein lineup. Chicken thighs, marinated portobellos, grilled tofu or halloumi give people options.
- Stretch the meat you do cook. Half-and-half bean-and-beef burgers, smaller smashburgers, or skewers that alternate protein with veggies all cut meat per serving.
- Let vegetables be the main event, not a garnish. Charred corn, peaches, halloumi, eggplant, zucchini, romaine hearts, and stone fruit all shine on the grill. A whole platter of grilled vegetables with a good sauce (chimichurri, romesco, tahini-yogurt anyone?) disappear faster than hosts expect. Our summer farmers market guide is a good place to start.
And buy a little less than you think. A good rule of thumb is about a third of a pound of meat per adult.
Cook once, eat twice
The quietest source of cookout waste is the plates scraped into the trash and the foil-wrapped leftovers nobody eats by Wednesday. ReFED’s 2026 food waste report found that households remain a significant source of overall food waste, even as individual and family waste habits improve year-over-year. And once food hits the landfill, it accounts for 58% of landfill methane emissions, per the EPA.
The fix is mostly about building a more forgiving menu. Lean on dishes that hold well for several hours and days:
- Grain salads (farro, orzo, couscous, rice) with grilled vegetables and a vinaigrette
- Bean and lentil salads
- Slaws dressed in vinegar rather than mayo
- Quick pickles and pickled onions
- Whole grilled vegetables (peppers, eggplant, onions, sweet potatoes) that can be chopped into pastas, grain bowls, or frittatas later in the week
And while the grill is already hot, cook for the next few days. An extra chicken breast, a second tray of vegetables, a few sweet potatoes tucked along the edge. None of it costs much more fuel, and tomorrow’s lunch is already done.
Store leftovers like you mean it
Leftovers only count if you actually eat them. A few small habits make the difference:
- Refrigerate leftovers before dessert comes out. Food that cools fast is safer to eat and more likely to get eaten.
- Portion before you stash. Single-serving containers are more likely to get eaten; giant Tupperware bricks less so. Bonus: encourage guests to bring their own containers to take leftovers home.
- Label with the date. A piece of masking tape solves most confusion-driven waste.
- Use or save the bones and the cobs. Chicken carcasses and corn cobs make excellent stock.
- Compost what’s truly past it. Composted food doesn’t generate as much methane; landfilled food does.
And if your garden, market, or grocery haul outpaces the week, our food preservation guide walks through pickling, freezing, and canning.
The point isn't to avoid grilling
Cookouts with neighbors, friends, and loved ones are one of the joys of summer, and the goal isn't to turn them into a climate audit. But the small choices add up: a closed grill lid, a platter of vegetables next to the burgers, leftovers portioned and labeled before dessert. Much of your climate footprint is decided in the grocery aisle, on the prep counter, and in the fridge the next morning.
Make a few of those swaps, a few times a summer, and the effect is real: less methane in the air, less food in the landfill, and usually a little more money left over too.
