Green Burials

What are Green Burials?

Green burials are the most natural way to be interred. Instead of being placed in a metal coffin or concrete tomb, people who choose this method of burial are placed in biodegradable containers, which will naturally decompose over time. There is nothing in the construction of the containers that is harmful to the environment, nor is the person buried with anything that will have any lasting effect on the environment.

Types of Burials

A green burial can occur either on land or in the ocean. It is up the individual or their family, which type of burial they prefer. People who pre-arrange their own funeral can designate that they wish to have a land or ocean burial.

Land Burials

Burials on land are performed in special green cemeteries where all of the deceased have this type of interment. These cemeteries are known as conservation easements, or eco-cemeteries, and these lands are protected. A conservation easement is federally protected land that will not be used for land development purposes.

Environmentalists prefer a green burial on land to a traditional burial with a coffin for several reasons. Primarily, traditional cemeteries have few trees or bushes since they have cleared the land to allow for as many burials as possible. Eco-cemeteries on the other hand encourage the planting of trees or bushes to remember loved ones. Traditional cemeteries also use many herbicides to deal with weeds, which run off into city water systems. Traditional cemeteries are therefore considered environmentally unsound.

Ocean Burials

Eco-burials that occur in the ocean are currently only performed by Eternal Reefs, Inc. This company uses the cremated remains of individuals and mixes it with cement. The cement mixture is then used to create artificial reefs. It is believed that this type of reef will help with the recovery of reefs that have been decimated by pollution.

Funeral Procedure

People that have decided to have an eco-burial are not embalmed. One of the reasons people choose this type of funeral is so that they are buried in a natural state that will do no harm to the local environment. A body is kept cool in order to preserve it at the funeral home; those who choose an eco-burial are not embalmed. The funerals therefore are done quickly after a person has died.

People are buried in simple caskets or a shroud. Caskets are made of recycled cardboard or wicker.

Grave markers are usually made of materials that will eventually decompose, such as wooden crosses, or rocks that may be engraved. Despite the lack of traditional gravestones, eco-cemeteries keep track of where each individual is buried, often using GIS to locate and keep track of graves.

Eco-Cemetery Locations

As these types of cemeteries become more popular, they will begin to be more popular throughout the world. The following organizations have listings for eco-cemeteries in North America:

• Green Burials
• Green Burial Council