Happy Independence Day!

In the spirit of celebration with burgers and chips, here are a few tips on greening your cookout.

Find paper products that are home-compost biodegradable and toss them in your compost pile. Chinet plates, which are not only made from 100% pre-consumer milk carton stock, are fully biodegradable in your back yard compost bin – just remember to only toss in plates without any bits of grease or cheese on them.

Use your home cutlery, and wash it after use. If using plastic cutlery, keep it and use it next time. Most plastic cutlery will hold up in the dishwasher and can be used again and again. You can also purchase biodegradable cutlery made from bagesse, which is sugar cane fiber. Read the labels carefully, though, as many of these need the high heat, industrial compost bins. Lastly, look into bamboo veneerwear for both cutlery AND plates. Bamboo is a sustainable product that is completely natural and biodegradable. I have noticed both compostable plates and bamboo-wear at Target. Compost paper napkins along with your plates and utensils.

Go with propane instead of charcoal. Propane is a man-made gas that burns clean. Charcoal releases hydrocarbons and tiny soot particles in the air that can aggravate preexisting conditions. If you must use charcoal, find an all-natural brand that contains no coal, oil, limestone, starch, sawdust, or petroleum products. Or, go solar! Check out Treehugger for the lowdown on some popular solar cookers.

Offer two liters of soda and serve iced tea and water in your own containers rather than offering individually packaged beverages to cut down on waste.

And, of course, recycle!