Natural Burial WEST LAUREL HILL CEMETERY 225 Belmont Avenue ∙ Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

West Laurel Hill Cemetery  Founded in 1869 as non-denominational cemetery  187 acres  Cemetery, Crematory and Funeral Home  Listed on National Register of Historic Places  Sister Cemetery to Laurel Hill (1836), National Historic Landmark 2

What is Natural Burial?  No embalming  No outer burial containers  No metal caskets (wood caskets, shrouds, wicker permitted)  No traditional monuments  Natural grave decorations only  No herbicides/pesticides used  Only indigenous plantings 3

Motivations for Establishing Nature’s Sanctuary  WLHC tradition of progressive thinking  Local leadership invested in our community/environment  Certified Arboretum  Increasing interest/demand ◦2008 Survey by funeral industry publishers Kates- Boylston Publications found 43% of respondents said they would consider a green burial (up from 21% AARP study from 2007)* 4 Original Specifications for Nature’s Sanctuary 1 Acre 4’ Depth Lowering by hand Graves hand-dug with family request; family may participate No artificial greens or flowers Indigenous plantings

Nature’s Sanctuary Purchases by Age Estimated 44% of properties purchased by Baby Boomers (age 51-69) 5

Public Response Press 26 burials (as of 3/1/2015) 32 additional spaces purchased (as of 3/1/2015) Enthusiastic Family Response/Participation 6

Nature’s Sanctuary Restoration Project Begun in 2014 New Direction-Assisted Ecological Succession In Nature’s Sanctuary, the intent of the natural burial area is to plan towards perpetual care by nature, rather than a lawnmower. 7

Nature’s Sanctuary Restoration Project 8

Scheduled Improvements Protectio n of Existing graves &trees Excavation & Prep of soil for site restoration Installation of Path System Intro of native herbaceous plant layer Use of goats to eradicate low growth invasives surrounding the site Intro of successional trees & shrubs 9

The Future 10