Environmentally-friendly burials are gaining in popularity and becoming a viable option without interfering with traditions.
There are so many little, almost imperceptible steps society has taken to lessen our impact on the earth. Recycling has become the norm, hybrid cars aren't the joke they once were, and eating organic and locally produced foods is something most people attempt to include in their lives. (Whether or not we succeed isn't always the case, but at least we try.) So it's only natural for these values to carry over into the choices we make for our final disposition. Because if you had the choice between being buried in a more natural state, as opposed to being loaded with chemicals, which would you choose?
The green burial movement has been active for some time now, and people are interested in green burial and green funerals for a variety of reasons:
· Green funerals and green burials can be a final eco-friendly act, one last effort to lessen our impact on the earth and reduce our carbon footprint.
· Green burial can be seen as the traditional way of being buried -- a return to the way people were buried before the industrialization and commercialization of funerals.
· For people observing religious traditions -- specifically Jewish or Muslim funerals -- green burial can be a way to honor those customs.
· Consult with a knowledgeable funeral director to learn if they provide or are experienced in green funerals.
Important Facts To Know About Green Burials
Green burial, also called a natural burial, is an environmentally friendly burial that aims to have as little impact on the earth as possible.
How To Choose A Green Funeral Home
Green funeral homes make environmentally friendly goods available to their customers, offer non-toxic body preparation options, and work with green cemeteries or natural burial grounds.
A Guide To Buying Green Burial Products
If you're planning a green burial, you'll need to purchase burial products that are environmentally friendly -- this generally means you'll want a green casket and a green headstone.
Natural Materials Used To Make Green Caskets
Green caskets are made from natural materials that will easily decompose when buried and will have as little impact on the earth as possible, such as bamboo, pine, recycled cardboard, hemp or other natural materials.
If you're planning a green burial you'll want to mark the grave with natural elements, rather than a commercial headstone.
The Three Different Types Of Green Cemeteries – Traditional, Home, and Green
In addition to traditional cemeteries, there are a number of other options for where you can be buried, such as at a “green” or “eco-friendly” cemetery.
Pre-Planning A Home Funeral Service
Home funerals take place at a family home, rather than a cemetery chapel, religious place of worship, or a funeral home. In the Denver Metro Area, the burial will then take place at a cemetery.
How To Have A Home Burial
If you live in a rural area you may be allowed to bury a body on your own property. For many families, home burial is a more intimate, economical, environmentally friendly, and personal method of burial. Home Burial is not allowed in the Denver Metro Area.
Also called a natural funeral, a “green” funeral is an environmentally friendly funeral that aims to have as little impact on the earth as possible.
Finding A Green Cemetery
Many conventional cemeteries are now offering green burial options. There is a fairly new cemetery in Denver called Seven Stones that specializes in such burials.
Purchasing A Green Casket
Green caskets are commonly made from materials such as bamboo, cork, teak, willow, rattan, banana leaf, seagrass, and recycled cardboard, as well as hemp, organic wool and felt, and organic cotton.