1. The Natural State Burial Association
What is Green Burial?
Green burial is traditional burial and was the norm for millennia. Burial in a green or natural cemetery (these terms are used interchangeably) prohibits chemical embalming of the body. There are no grave-liners or vaults. Only biodegradable burial containers such as plain pine boxes, wicker or cardboard caskets, or fabric shrouds of natural fiber can be used.
There are no monuments, rather flat native stones mark the graves. There are no attempts to control nature with pesticides and herbicides. The graves are shallow, allowing for faster decomposition. Those who are laid to rest become a natural part of the ongoing cycle of life.
It is possible to issue a statement of one’s concern for the environment by planning a simple, natural burial. What is done with one’s body can be your final act of environmental responsibility, the last thing you get a chance to ‘recycle’.
Green Cemeteries
Conventional Burial
Green cemeteries exist in different forms and certification levels are designated by the Green Burial Council.
Hybrid burial grounds are conventional cemeteries that have some land set aside for green burials. There is no embalming. They allow any kind of eco-friendly container and require no grave liner.
Natural burial grounds allow only green burial practices, must maintain grounds without the use of chemicals, and landscape with native plants from regional ecosystems. With such a natural appearance, they often look more like public parks than conventional cemeteries.
Conservation burial grounds meet the criteria of the other two, but also protect the property through a dedicated organization, such as a land trust, that holds a conservation easement guaranteeing the long-term stewardship of the land.
Conventional burial practices were not introduced in the United States until the late 19th century. Now the norm within the modern funeral industry includes costly and unnecessary practices such as:
• Embalming with toxic fluids
• Cosmetic body restoration
• Ministerial services and memorial
‘packages’
• Hearse transport and police escorts
• Expensive coffins made of plastic, vinyl,
fiberglass, and exotic hardwoods
• Concrete vaults or grave liners
• Inscribed grave markers or monuments
Many people do not plan ahead for burial arrangements. When a death occurs, families often scramble to connect with a funeral home to handle the process. They may find themselves agreeing to purchase many of these expensive funeral industry add-ons, none of which are legally required.
Photographs courtesy of Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery