A caring solution to help you plan for the future and settle affairs after a loss.
How to hold a green burial
In addition to being expensive, traditional funerals exert a great cost environmentally. Some estimates suggest that the funeral industry consumes over six billion tons of concrete and eight hundred thousand tons of chemicals annually.
However, according to data from the National Funeral Directors Association, methods and materials that decrease a funeral’s impact on the environment have seen an increased demand in recent years, as nearly 54% of Americans now favor a green burial.
Specifics of a green burial vary widely, but they often require fewer resources for the body's care and skip steps normally seen in a traditional funeral, making them better for the environment.
caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources
reduction of carbon emissions
protection of worker’s health
preservation of habitat with the use of non-toxic and biodegradable materials
The extent of how “green” a burial is depends on the individual’s choice, from how the body is dealt with to where it is placed after death. Service options range from wrapping the deceased in a cotton shroud to burial in a conservation park, where families can choose to plant a variety of plants, flowers, and shrubs on the grave, to many other eco-friendly options, which are discussed below.
Eco-friendly body disposal options:
Aquamation, also known as water cremation or alkaline hydrolysis, is when a body is placed in a stainless steel vessel filled with 5% water and 5% potassium or sodium hydroxide. This combination dissolves the body using essentially the same process that happens to a body left on the earth or in a stream. The skeleton that is left is then ground into a white powder and can be scattered like ashes. The process emits a fifth of the carbon dioxide of traditional cremation.
Biodegradable urns can be used so that cremated remains can be scattered in several places with minimal impact to the environment. According to the website TalkDeath, there are many biodegradable cremation urns available, and it is best to check the laws regarding scattering or burying cremated remains in your area. A tree seed can be planted above the remains, and there a number of these urns available, including the BiosUrn, The Living Urn, and ErniTrees. (Keep in mind that some cemetery by-laws will not allow the seed that comes with the urn to be planted because of maintenance issues.)
Cardboard containers, which are often biodegradable, can be used, especially for cremation. TalkDeath recommends that you should check weight guidelines, as some cardboard containers may not be suitable for people over a certain weight, and also check with the cemetery you wish to use, as some cardboard coffins are not accepted.
“Sky burials” are practiced in Tibet and used to encourage good karma. Bodies are taken to charnel grounds where vultures come to eat the flesh, and it is believed that the practice encourages the dead to move along to their next life without being held back by one’s physical body.
Shrouds are large pieces of fabric made from unbleached cotton fabric, muslin, linen, silk, felted wool, bamboo, or hemp used to wrap the body. According to TalkDeath, some green cemeteries and funeral homes offer burial shrouds for purchase, and they can be personalized and decorated by the individual or family.
Wooden caskets made of solid wood with no glue, metal, or varnish are considered green and accepted at green burial grounds. The lining or interior should be unbleached fabric with natural materials for bedding such as wool, fiber, or straw.
Woven caskets are made of willow, bamboo, wicker, or a combination that incorporates natural materials such as sugar cane, banana leaves, or seagrass. They are biodegradable for burial and can also be used for cremation.
There are many more eco-friendly options for funerals, including paper and fiber urns, rock salt urns, the mushroom burial suit, body farms, sky burial, sea burial, and recomposing.
Eco-friendly burial options
Natural Burial Ground: The idea behind this type of land is to manage the area to keep it as natural as possible, where the use of vaults, grave liners, and pesticides are banned. Bodies can be embalmed, and containers are usually made of natural or plant-based materials.
Conservation Burial: A conservation burial takes place in a cemetery or natural burial ground that also has a conservation easement registered on the land. The easement provides for restoration and conservation of the ecological environment that helps protect the land and leave a legacy for future generations.
Hybrid Cemetery: Hybrid cemeteries are traditional spaces with a green burial allotment. A burial vault is required for lawn maintenance in a traditional cemetery; however, in hybrid cemeteries, they may not have a burial space, but they have sections for green urns or a scattering garden.
Why choose a “green burial”?
Often the cost of a green burial is much less than its traditional counterpart because the expenses of vaults, coffins, and embalming are not necessary. Green burials are environmentally friendly and do away with embalming chemicals and non-biodegradable materials such as cement or steel that leave a carbon footprint. Furthermore, a green burial provides the opportunity to return to nature.
In summary, a “green” burial includes a wide range of possibilities from how to deal with the body to where to place it after death. This growing movement allows loved ones to personalize the deaths of those closest to them while providing an option that shows sensitivity to the earth we love and treasure.