What Is A “Green” Burial Funeral?
The Green Burial is an ancient practice and is based on returning our bodies to mother earth. It is also a way of honoring our birth-death-rebirth cycle.
The Deceased Preparation For Burial
The deceased is wrapped in a shroud of natural fabric, lying on a wicker burial stretcher, or contained in a biodegradable casket. The body is buried in a designated ‘green’ cemetery, and its final resting place is marked by the planting of a tree, shrub, or wildflowers.
Types of Green Burials
Woodland Burials
These woodland burial areas are protected and may serve as habitats for endangered wildlife species. In England, the trend towards ‘green burial’ is well established and gaining momentum, with more than 130 woodland burial grounds already in use.
No Separation From Body And Earth
Those who advocate ‘green burial’ view death and the rituals accompanying the disposal of a body from a spiritual and environmental perspective that is utterly opposed to the prevailing practices of protecting a body within a large, durable receptacle, repelling the earth’s biological properties.
Embalming
Embalming is not allowed, for it introduces powerful chemicals into the body, which could later leach into the soil. Nor is any coffin or vault designed to do anything other than break down quickly and naturally permitted.
Cremations
Cremation is gently discouraged because the process releases pollutants into the air, although cremated ashes may be scattered in woodland cemeteries.
Green burials are in keeping with the widely held view that we human beings are part of nature. By returning our bodies to the earth, we allow them to contribute to the incredible ecosystem that created us. Such ‘green burials’ are becoming more and more accessible in the United States.
Locate A Green Burial Site
For more information on Green Burials and to find a designated green burial location near you, consult with a Green Burial Site Expert.
