Wipe That Saucy Look Off Your Face

Green Grilling can be a messy endeavor, so when you inevitably reach for a napkin, consider your options:

Easy Green: If you can't pass up the convenience of disposable paper towels, go for the unbleached and recycled kind. Seventh Generation makes some from 100 percent recycled paper, with 80 percent coming from post-consumer waste. Don't worry about them falling down on the job: In Grist's  paper towel test, they shared the top spot with Whole Foods 365.

Uber Green: Keep a basket full of cloth napkins in a few convenient spots around the grill and table so sticky and saucified guests can grab them as needed. Have an empty basket ready to collect the dirty ones. You can use these again (and again) at future gatherings, so a boatload of napkins is a worthy green investment (double points if they're made from organic fibers).

Even More Uber Green: Give each guest a cloth napkin to use and reuse throughout the day. (Think of the water, energy, and time you'll save on laundry!) If you're crafty, you can even make your own recycled cloth napkin. After washing the used napkins, hang them on the line to dry.

--D.W.

How green are you? Tell us if you've tried these tips for green grilling--and share some of your own.

Comments

[Randy]

Alternatively, don’t eat dirty foods. I only eat foods that require neither cutlery nor napkins. But if Spaghetti is not for you, try my “self-cleansing” meals.

When eating out, lettuce makes a perfect food napkin. Eat at your ribs, then wash your hands on your lettuce – easy! Eating lots of messy shrimp? Use a finger bowl then save the shrimpy water; after a while it will become a fish stock for your next green meal.

[reason17]

When I was an exchange student in England in the mid-80's, my host family used cloth napkins to save money. Because they lived in a small house and the kitchen table was used for many activities during the day, the napkins were kept in a basket on a shelf until mealtime. To tell each person's napkin apart, each of us had a unique napkin ring (in this case, each was a beautiful silver antique "orphan" found at a thrift shop--I still have mine!). At the end of each meal, we would roll up our napkins and place them back in their rings. In this way, the napkins could be used for two or three days between washings. (A great napkin washing tip: to remove greasy stains, put CitraSolv in a spray bottle and treat just before washing--it is great for removing tough spots without removing color from the fabric.)

[Sara, Norfolk, VA]

I love trying to get away from our disposable habits!

[Joanne Drabek]

If you use paper napkins, compost them when finished.

[Terry]

Bandanas make good, big napkins. Colorful and sturdy, you can find them, and pre-owned napkins at garage sales and thrift stores.

[linda silva]

I took and old sheet and sewed it then into 60 napkins. My family hasn't used any paper products except toilet paper for 6 months and we don't miss them. We save money too!

[Sandy, Houston, TX]

I am contemplating making napkins from old T-shirts. They are soft, absorbent, and just waiting to be given a new life. The colors and patterns serve as a good identifier if rings are not available.

[Tips For Grilling]

Great tips on that, I like the cloth look better myself. Sort of "beefs up the class" if you will!