GRILLING SEASON IS HERE. We love to grill: meat, fish, veggies, you name it. Through September we grill. A lot. With charcoal.

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I, of course, worry about the carbon footprint of it all. On the surface, it seems pretty straightforward: Charcoal grills emit two to three times as much carbon as gas grills. OK. Go buy a gas grill. Case closed.

Or not.

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory reports that charcoal is a renewable resource, while natural gas is not. Charcoal, which is made from wood, is part of a natural carbon cycle, thus having a net-zero carbon footprint.

Most charcoal is made of waste wood or, if new wood is used, it comes from FSC-certified sources. In fact, Kingsford — the gold standard of charcoal — had its humble beginnings as a way for Henry Ford to use his sawdust and waste wood almost 100 years ago.

But wait.

There are two basic types of charcoal, briquettes and lump. Lump charcoal is just that — wood that is charred until it becomes coal-like lumps. Briquettes, on the other hand, contain ground up lump charcoal combined with other ingredients. Those additives put particulate matter into the air and leave behind a residue; lump charcoal burns clean and leaves almost no perceptible ash.

This residue and particulate matter is the heart of the controversy over the environmental impact of charcoal grilling.

In response, small producers, Original Charcoal (sold under private label by Trader Joe’s) and, yes, even Kingsford now sell a range of “100% natural” briquette products.

Bottom line?

Stay away from lighter fluid and instant-light briquettes, which do put VOCs into the atmosphere. Beyond that? Since barbecue emissions represent 0.0003 of the total U.S. annual carbon footprint, go ahead and grill however you like. Just maybe think about taking the bus to your next picnic.

I HATE TO SAY I’M A USER BUT WHEN WE TOOK OUR SON, then a toddler, on his first overnight hike, I was already looking ahead to the day I’d need him to help tote the heaviest stuff up the hill. Fortunately, a love of hiking took, so I can look back now and say confidently that what we did worked.

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The safest time for a first overnight is in prime hiking season, often mid-July to mid-September. We picked a postcard-perfect setting with a lake that was more drive up than walk in, just a mile from where we parked the car.

Where we went wrong:

• At age 3, a mile uphill might have been too long for his little legs, but he made it.
• A good pair of sneakers would have helped. Rubber boots were a challenge.

Where we went right:

• We took lots of snacks and stopped often to eat, which I still claim was for his sake.
• We took his fishing pole, dog, good books for lantern storytelling and comfy sleeping gear.
• We picked good weather but prepared for whatever mountain weather can bring, understanding that toddlers lose body heat quickly when they’re not moving.
• He carried his own light pack with snacks.
• We devoted our attention to him entirely, knowing that the lake, getting lost and the campfire were all hazards.
• We kept a change of dry clothes in the car.

Most people think of hiking with small children as a way of keeping their own passions going despite having kids. As I load up my son with the stove, fuel and extra food now that I’m over the hill, I see it as a rare investment that paid off big.

LOSING THE LAWN DOES NOT MEAN you will be shunned by your neighbors. In fact, the “anti-lawn” is a hip and sustainable alternative to the resource-gobbling ritual of daily irrigation and frequent applications of fertilizer.

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It’s hard to break off our emotional connection to lawns, but there are healthy ― and beautiful ― alternatives. While you wean yourself (or your spouse) from green turf, you’ll discover an exciting array of groundcovers and no-grass (or less-grass) design solutions.

Here are five ideas to try:

• Grow an “eco-lawn,” such as a custom-blended seed mix that fits the conditions for your region. For example, Portland, Ore.-based Hobbs & Hopkins Ltd. developed “Fleur de Lawn,” a meadow-like mix of small flowers and low-growing clover combined with a specialty variety of dwarf perennial rye grass. Once established, it is naturally self-fertilizing, requires no watering and needs infrequent mowing.
• Learn to live with “golden.” Allow your lawn to go dormant in the summer. When cooler weather and seasonal showers return in the fall, the grass will revive and turn a brilliant green, irrigated naturally by rain.
• Adjust your watering practices. Lawns require more water than other plants, so separate the lawn-watering system from trees, shrubs and flowerbeds.
• Shrink the green. Gradually reduce the size of your lawn, replacing sections of grass with native ornamentals or low-water plants like succulents. You can satisfy your urge for green with alternatives such as thyme, which is visually appealing, aromatic and even edible.
• Replace grass with gravel. I ripped out all of the lawn in my backyard and created a Mediterranean-inspired gravel garden. The warm gold gravel covers all the pathways that surround planted beds, borders and islands. The gravel is permeable, uses no water and is weed-free (thanks to a hidden layer of landscape cloth underneath it).

THE INTERNET IS CROWDED WITH ALL SORTS OF ADVICE FOR RAISING CHICKENS in a small-scale environment, such as an urban backyard. You can watch a bevy of You Tube videos on DIY coop-building, selection of rare and exotic breeds, and the care and feeding of chicks.

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But it wasn’t until several of my design-savvy friends became hen owners that I realized how cutting-edge chickens can be. No longer the domain of the alternative set, chicken ownership is indeed a mainstream phenomenon. Eat an omelet made with just-gathered eggs and you’ll be persuaded, too.

Chicken-coop design is an important consideration. My friend Kathy owns a fetching structure affectionately called the Palais de Poulet (yes, it has a turret and leaded-glass windows). Another gal pal, also named Kathy, decorated her coop with a colorful mosaic mural of handmade tiles. I’ve seen chickens take up residence in a converted children’s playhouse and live in a beautiful piece of miniature architecture — cupola included.

Then there are prefab coops. The explosion of prefabricated architecture doesn’t relate only to homes for humans. Here are some of the most interesting ready-to-go chicken abodes around:

Henspa: Egganic Industries, a mom-and-pop coop-maker in Virginia, sells a wide range of easy-to-assemble wood kits, including the “Henhut,” which for a little more than $300 can house a small backyard egg-production operation.

Eglu: Imported from the U.K. and now available to North American chicken owners, this futuristic hut is attached to a wire “chicken run” and can even be ordered with a pair of hens. Kits begin at $495.

Modern Coop: Shaped like a vintage trailer and made from reclaimed  boards, this witty coop houses chickens while adding retro style to your yard. $700 plus additional costs for accessories.

THIS TIME OF YEAR YOU CAN FIND POTS OF ALL SHAPES and sizes in any garden center. But for my money, turning something unexpected into a planter is the best way to add style and personality to your garden. Unless you’ve decided to use an item of antiquity, the costs can be minimal and the steps are easy:

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• Look in the garage, storage shed or basement. What’s lying around that you can’t bring yourself to throw away? I’ve converted all sorts of interesting items into planters. The slightly rusted little red wagon that my sons outgrew became a cool place for daffodils and other spring bulbs. The vintage but leaky galvanized metal watering can now has chocolate mint spilling from its opening. And succulents peek from the open flap of an upturned mailbox — one that I salvaged during a construction project.
• Assess your drainage needs. While standard-issue flower pots come with drainage holes, a piece of old pottery or industrial metal may not. A little ingenuity may be called for. In the case of ceramic items, a masonry bit will do the trick. Used with an electric drill, the bit’s sharp point can penetrate the base of an old piece of pottery to create holes. It will also work with concrete and cast stone. Depending upon the thickness of a metal item, you might be able to puncture the base by hammering holes using a large nail. Otherwise, look for a drill bit that can be used with metal surfaces.
• Plant to your heart’s content. Fill the converted vessel with organic potting soil and plant annuals, perennials, bulbs, herbs or succulents inside — just as if you were designing any garden container. Remember, you win bonus points for creativity! The most amusing repurposed item I’ve seen for holding plants is a pair of 1970s women’s pumps. Oh, la la!

IF YOU’VE EVER BEEN TO TUSCANY, you may have come home with romantic photos of bright red geraniums spilling from a window box or over the rim of a terra-cotta flowerpot. There’s something irresistible about this cheery red flower. It’s the quintessential summer bloom, reminding us of sunshine, warmth, meals eaten al fresco-style, and the good life.

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Except this flower isn’t really a geranium.

Often called a “zonal geranium,” the true name of the popular red, coral, white or pink summer flower is Pelargonium x hortorum. These plants have fleshy stems that bear full clusters of blooms; the leaves are often ruffled, adding to their charming appearance. Pelargoniums hail from South Africa, so they prefer hot, dry environments and therefore will not thrive year-round in areas where winters are wet and cold. For the summer container or flower bed, though, nothing beats this plant. It will bloom almost continuously until the first frost. I especially love the fancy-leafed and scented varieties (with velvety leaves that smell like apple, chocolate, peppermint, lemon and more).

The true geranium, often called a “hardy geranium” or cranesbill, is a hardy perennial that will usually survive cold winters and then leaf out and bloom the following spring. Geraniums have smaller leaves and tinier flowers than showy pelargoniums, but they make up for their quieter demeanor by serving as the garden’s soft embroidery. As these plants grow, their small, roundish leaves and short stems with open-faced flowers knit together with nearby plants, filling in the garden’s bare spots with a carefree abandon. Two of my favorite cultivars include ‘Rozanne’, which produces almost iridescent purple-blue flowers, and ‘Ann Folkard’, admired for its chartreuse foliage and magenta-purple blooms.

The best news is that you don’t have to choose between pelargoniums and geraniums. Enjoy them both!

IN 2006, WHEN I MOVED from Seattle to Los Angeles, I met Cristi Walden and was invited to join her small group on the first of what I call Cristi’s “Design Field Trips.”

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Through this lively and curious woman, I’ve had a personal education in architecture, design, decorative arts and the cultural history of Los Angeles. We’ve gone off the beaten track to places I never would have discovered on my own, including the just-restored Marion Davies beach house in Malibu and a pitch-perfect Tiki Bar in the basement of a shy but gifted animator. We met tile makers who are keeping alive the art of the past and toured the ancient warehouse where reproduction Bauer pottery is being manufactured.

With a twinkle in her eye, Cristi has a knack for gathering like-minded people, heading out for a day and creating an unforgettable excursion. She calls us the “Merry Band of Archivists.”

Here are some of Cristi’s tricks for pulling together a design-filled day:

• Keep your ears open and just ask. Her contagious enthusiasm opens doors and, frankly, I think people are flattered to be asked to share their home or give a behind-the-scenes tour to kindred spirits.
• Invite participants. Armed with driving directions or a map, we head out to visit an obscure county museum with an amazing art exhibit or an incredible Arts & Crafts house filled with a stunning vintage pottery collection. Camaraderie, discovery and adventure make us nearly giddy with excitement.
• Add food. Cristi makes sure we eat, perhaps at a Mexican cantina, a barbecue spot or a diner. The restaurants seem to fit the theme of the tour, but maybe that’s a coincidence.

After the trip, armed with the email addresses of new friends, I return home with photographs, stories and a much better appreciation of the place where I now live.

GARAGE SALES, TAG SALES, YARD SALES — whatever you call them — can be fun, profitable and give you your garage back.

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Summer is the perfect time to tackle this project. If you encourage your family to pitch in, by the end of the day you’ll not only have a few extra dollars in your pockets, you will have cleared some much-needed real estate.

Here are a few tips and tricks to organizing these weekend money-makers:

• Give yourself time to organize. A month before your sale, clear your house and garage of saleable items; box and price as you go.
• Choose a sale date that is not a holiday weekend. Families often leave town and you’ll want as many people around as possible to attend your event.
• Purchase tags or stickers in different bright colors. Assign each family member his or her own color. When an item sells, keep the tag. At the end of the day, each family member will know how much they sold.
• Make sure all electronics are in working order. Have an extension cord handy for potential buyers.
• Group like-size clothing together. Make sure they are clean.
• Advertise your sale. Craigslist is a great way to get the word out. Bright colored, large, neatly printed signs work well to grab a neighborhood passerby.
• Have enough small bills and loose change on hand when the sale starts. Wear a carpenter’s apron to keep money handy and safe.
• Set up a free-coffee table in the morning; turn it into a .25 cent lemonade stand in the afternoon and get the kids to help.
• After the sale, immediately pack up and donate unsold items.
• Park your car in the garage — it’s a great feeling!

THE GARDEN TOURING SEASON IS UPON US: Where I live, there seems to be at least one secret garden tour or garden festival every weekend. And I never say no to a chance to don my straw-brimmed hat, sling a camera over my shoulder and spend a day entering a few new garden gates.

AT LONGWOOD GARDENS

Here are my tips for making the most of a tour day, rain or shine:

• What to wear: the aforementioned hat to protect your skin from sun or showers; comfortable walking shoes (no sandals or heels); and layers for sudden changes of weather.
• What to bring along: a lightweight backpack filled with a water bottle, snacking food, sunscreen, camera and notebook. It’s nice to have your hands free in the garden, in case you want to stroke a scented leaf!
• What to do: Take photos when you notice an attractive plant combination, clever design idea or unusual material — great for future reference in your own backyard; ask questions of the homeowner, designer or volunteer docents, especially to meet an unfamiliar or uncommon plant; be sure to thank the hosts for opening their garden to the community.
• What not to do: don’t step off the walkways; don’t express your criticisms out loud; don’t help yourself to plant cuttings!

I’ve discovered some of the best inspiration for my own landscape-design projects when touring others’ secret gardens. Try exploring in your community and you’ll get an informative horticultural education, too.