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By: Layna Hayes
The following passage is reprinted from Sonya Vatomsky's article in the New York Times titled "Thinking About Having a Green Funeral? Here's What to Know"
Green burials do away with both the embalming chemicals and the extraneous cement, steel or other non-biodegradable materials conventional burials put into the earth, and lack the carbon footprint of cremation, which has been calculated to be the equivalent of a 500-mile car journey. Perhaps the most personal reason of all is one where the idea of green burial simply speaks to a person. They might find comfort in their body “returning to nature,” or want to take part in a conservation burial, where burial fees are also used to cover land protection, restoration and management. “Not only does conservation burial help protect land, but the burial area becomes hallowed ground, restored to its natural condition and protected forever with a conservation easement,” explains the Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery. “Citizens who support conservation are offered a more meaningful burial option with the certainty that protected land is the ultimate legacy to leave for future generations.”
Green burials are a very simple and cost-effective way to reduce your carbon footprint. It is the perfect opportunity for someone who feels like they have not done enough to help the environment during their life. The implications that come with a traditional funeral are extraneous, expensive, and harmful to our planet. With a green burial, you can protect the environment that fostered your life by reducing waste, save your family money, while also feeling comforted by returning to nature. In some cemetaries, you also have the option to have flowers, shrubs, or trees planted over your body. And, if there is not a cemetary near you that offers a green burial, you can turn to other options, like being repurposed into plantable soil or an under the sea habitat for fish and other sea creatures.