A Green Barbecue

The aroma of burning briquets entertwined with grilled beefy hot dogs, the checkered white and red table cloth, matching red plates and giant marshmallows are inherent of the great American cookout. But is it possible to go green and still evoke the American outdoor picnic? You decide.

1. Beef. Let's face it. Americans love traditional raised beef for its full flavor. The eco-friendly version: grass fed beef.

2. Hot Dogs. Oscar Meyer still is king but the Applegate Frams grass-fed beef hot dogs are nitrate and preservative free.

3. The Plates. Spill-proof, bendable-proof, tear proof. No one wants to pile up their plate and have it tear, bend or spill. The VerTerra plates are made from fallen palm leaves. A pack of eight costs about $5--twice as much as plastic ones.

4. S'Mores. Brand names like Honey Maid graham crackers, Kraft marshmallows and Hershey bars can be replaced by all organic ingredients.

5. Tablecloth. If you're not hung up on colors, replace the classic red and whie checker one ($3.29) with maybe a cotton one. For colorful recycle paper tablecloths try greenpartygoods.com

The whole ethos of the barbecue is the relaxation,  less work (why wash when you can toss [disposable plates]) and low cost.  The bottomline, you get the first two out of three benefits by going green. With  mainstream stores like Walmart selling recycled aluminum foil, lightweight bamboo items at Target, and additive-free charcoal briquets at Costco--it's getting easier.