The Last Act - Green Burial
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 08.25.06
[This is a guest post by Neil Chambers. -Ed.]You've decided to live in harmony with the earth. It's easier than it use to be, but not the easiest thing in the world. And if you lived forever, the planet would be forever grateful. Of course, eternal life on this planet isn't an option. Now that society at large has figured out how to live better with nature, the question has become: how do we die better with nature?
Enter Joe Sehee . Joe's mission is to offer everyone a way to die in harmony with the environment. He can talk in detail about the negative effects of conventional deathcare. Joe is the founder and acting executive director of the Green Burial Council. He has worked in the green burial field for four years and the deathcare industry for seven.
Joe wants to make green burial a national standard. Green burial bans the use of embalming, vaults, conventional markers, and metal caskets. I thought you had to be embalmed and put in a metal box with concrete wrapped around it. "It's not true, it's just a myth started around the Civil War," Joe explains dispelling the falsehood.
Then I asked about cremation. I told him that my grandma was cremated. She didn't see any reason to take up space in the ground with a body that wasn't being used anymore. Again, Joe corrected me, "Cremation isn't that sustainable either. They don't remove fillings for your teeth which emits mercury into the environment, not to mention the energy used is most likely fossil fuels." Oh, really…damn, sorry grandma.
For the last ten years, sustainable burial has been making strides. The trend began in 1991 in Britain with the launch of The Natural Death Centre and quickly moved to the United States.
There are two ways to be green about death. One is "Conservation Burial Ground" and the other is "Natural Burial Ground."
"The only way to have green burial work is to have enforceable standards," Joe explained as we discussed the announcement about the United State 's first standards and certification program in the deathcare industry. These standards will stop unnecessary pollution from being put in the ground and prevent countless tons of concrete and steel for caskets.
From a global warming perspective, for every ton of concrete and steel there's approximately a ton of carbon emitted. Non-sustainable cemeteries have a density of a 1000 whole-body burials per acre using nearly a ton of concrete and half a ton of steel. Even a conventional 10 acre cemetery could have a Carbon Emission Reduction value of 15000 or more by simply using biodegradable coffins.
The density of sustainable burial grounds are cut back to 100 to 300 an acre. These practices take on added benefits when coupled with efforts to conserve wildlands. "The challenge of protecting endangered landscapes in America is enormous," said Ernest Cook, senior vice president of the Trust for Public Land. "We need to develop innovative ways to finance restoration and conservation of these lands. Finding common ground with cemetery operators has great potential." The usage of stones, trees or other natural markers are more appropriate than the more traditional large tombstones. There's a nice ring to the idea that an oak tree would grow above a plot as memory of life.
The cost of upkeep for the sustainable burial sites would provide the needed funds to maintain the ecological quality of conservation lands. "We are seeing a great need for market-based solutions with environmental issues. Green burial is one that will mature in the coming years," Joe explains. It is nice to see a connection between the land of the dead and the Trust for Public Land. Everyday it's getting easier to live a green life, thanks to Joe you can have a green last act too.
See also: ::Green Burials, ::Eco-Friendly Burial lets you be Green Forever, ::The Shroud of Marin- the New Yorker on Eco-Burial, ::Ecopod: Green Coffins -- Bling Optional, ::Promessa Organic AB's Sustainable Burial, ::Green Till the End, ::Death Be Not Proud, ::COOL BUT UGLY: Biodegradable Scattering Urn, ::Real Ecourns by Econatur, ::Design Graduates 2006: Carbon Copies by Nadine Jarvis
[This has been a guest post by Neil Chambers. -Ed]
well I do agree that the use of steel coffins is a unnecessary for most cases of burial
there are some cases where it is not only necessary but mandatory I know this because returning a loved who passed away from another country it is mandatory because of contamination laws
And for a solider who died on the battlefield in some distant land protecting our freedom there is no such thing as embalming fluid and therefore to keep the family content a steel sealed coffin is there for all because the stench of decaying burnt flesh is just too much for any grieving family to handle
According to traditional Jewish burial practices, a body cannot be embalmed. It must be buried as soon as possible (usually by the next day) and must be wrapped in a simple sheet and be placed in a simple untreated wooden box. No cement. No metal. No fancy pillows. Simple and green.
If you live in Southern Ca.where can you go for an affordable green burial.Is green cremation possible?If so where would one living in Southern Ca.go to look into it?
This is intresting. I've always wanted a no frill burial. (except, with a small party to kick things off, hehe)
I ended up going the burial insurance route - which leaves me wondering, will it pay for my choice of burial (or lack there of?)
any advice would be great, thanks TH!
The Green Burial concept is great, it cuts the cost of a funeral down several $1000 for the grieving parties. But many states like Arizona do not promote green burials as the official argument is that green burials contaminate underground water reservoirs. Green burials also cut down on the massive profits Funeral Homes make off a corpse. Much more public awareness needs to be made on this topic as I see this as a great alternative to the traditional funerals that are often dictated by religious norms and Funeral Home policies.
The British have been leaders in green burials, and the market has been very slow to grow in the U.S. Part of the reason is that local laws and cemetery regulations may require the use of cement (or similar) vaults, making a green burial possible only in a green cemetery. Unfortunately, green cemeteries are about as rare as a fuel efficient SUV. There are other options. Some companies make fully biodegradable caskets that a few cemeteries might accept, and there are several biodegradable cremation urns (for pets, as well as people). New crematoria emit far lower levels of toxins than in the past, so although cremation isn't yet truly green, some are viewing it, in whole, as more eco-friendly than traditional casket burial.
S. Lamb, Richard Lamb New Traditions
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
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