Green Burials
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI 
on 08. 3.06
The ritual of burying remains is considered to be one of the first indicators of "culture" in human evolution, perhaps meaning that how we bury loved ones is a hallmark of who we are as a people. If so, the recent increase in ecological burial options is not just a wacky trend, but a sign that social consciousness about the environment has reached a deeper level. To help those interested in more natural burials, the Trust for Natural Legacies Inc., a Madison, Wisconsin based non-profit group, plans to establish cemeteries that would use a small piece of conservation property for burials, and protect the rest as a natural area and park.
"Cemeteries take up a lot of land, and that land is changed from either forest land or prairie land into something that's just made for our use, and there's no reason that we need to maintain that land for our use over centuries," says Bill Moore, a supporter of the Trust.
In the coming month, the Green Burial Council plans to announce guidelines that will standardize the practices used in ecologically sensitive burials. "We're trying to just set the ground rules (for burial) so it's done in an appropriate fashion," said Joe Sehee, the group's founder and executive director. Standards will be especially critical for certifying green burial practices to ensure that proper care is taken for both the remains and the natural landscape. ::Via Milwaukee Journal Sentinal
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Wonderful, I'm so glad to see this getting some attention. If you need motivation for green burials read the book "Stiff." There is a little info on them in there - as well as a lot of info on what happens to bodies to be preped for burial, and those donated to science (and that too in my opinion is another form of a 'green' burial - get a little extra use out of a body.)
I happened upon this site by accident and was interested in the post concerning "Green Burials".
This is something my hubby and I are interested in and want to have our remains buried on our property here in the UK.
We live in the country on 17+ acres with which we are currently creating a woodland with the Forestry Commission's help.
Our objective for the future of this woodland is for it to become a part of the Wildlife Trust and be preserved for generations to come.
That being, we also like the idea of people being allowed to bury their loved ones naturally and instead of plunking down a headstone, plant a tree in their loved ones honour.
We have recently done so in my father's memory, using his ashes I brought back from the States. His tree will tower above the woodland and will be prominent against the skyline when fully grown.
I'm pleased to see others looking into this alternative; we need to do more to assure the planet has the resources to continue after our meager lifetimes!
the flash freeze and compost method (mentioned in the eco burial link within the article) is not too different from the Tibetan "sky burial," in which a body is ceremonially dissassembled and laid out for vultures to feed on. The question is, how do we return to our natural roots and make this a socially accepted form of burial?
Natural Burial Around the World
The modern concept of natural burial began in the UK in 1993 and has since spread across the globe. According the Centre for Natural Burial, http://naturalburial.coop there are now several hundred natural burial grounds in the United Kingdom and half a dozen sites across the USA, with others planned in Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and even China.
A natural burial allows you to use your funeral as a conservation tool to create, restore and protect urban green spaces.
The Centre for Natural Burial provides comprehensive resources supporting the development of natural burial and detailed information about natural burial sites around the world. With the Natural Burial Co-operative newsletter you can stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the rapidly growing trend of natural burial including, announcements of new and proposed natural burial sites, book reviews, interviews, stories and feature articles.
The Centre for Natural Burial
For those of you in the Midwest - Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, etc. interested in green or natural burial . . . check out Trust for Natural Legacies. It is a non-profit organization that not only promotes green burial, but also educates organizations on how to do it AND aims to operate/own cemetery nature preserves in all of these states. It's doing pretty well so far in Wisconsin and Michigan's UP, and has just started a chapter in Minnesota.
website: www.naturallegacies.org