Green burial, an honorable and future-affirming end of life ritual.
One of the most important, longest lasting, best remembered decisions we make, which has a lasting impact on our legacy and our respect for future generations, is deciding how we want our earthly body handled when our living spirit moves on. Our burial is one of the aspects of death we can actually control.
Current funeral practices are expensive, wasteful of land, resources and energy, and environmentally harmful.
A New End-of-Life Option in Kentucky
Advocates for more responsible end of life care have opened Windy Knoll Memorial Sanctuary in a peaceful rural location central to several large Kentucky metropolitan areas.
Current End-of-Life Care
Generations now dealing with end of life decisions have become aware that traditional casket/vault/cemetery options are wasteful, unsustainable and environmentally damaging.
Just in the U.S., Green Burial Council data estimates 20 million feet of wood, 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluids, 1.6 million tons of concrete, 17,000 tons of copper and bronze, and 64,500 tons of steel are put into the ground each year
Science and experience have taught us that the conceit we can “preserve” our mortal remains into the future for whatever purpose is self-indulgent nonsense.
Even though family members may visit gravesites for a while, we have come to understand the spirit and memory of the departed is more present at their favorite nature trail, bowling alley, fishing stream or library than where their body is buried. That person is no longer “at” the gravesite.
An increasingly popular alternative to casket/ vault burial is cremation, widely viewed as a more environmentally friendly choice.
In fact, cremation is nowhere near a green choice. Each cremation requires about 28 US gal of fuel and releases about 540 lb of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. US cremations alone produce 240,000 Tons of carbon dioxide, more pollution than 22,000 average homes generate in a year. Globally, cremation emits over 6.8 Million Metric Tons of carbon dioxide every year. And it’s avoidable!
Cremation has grown from 3% to 60% of US funerary choices since 1960 and still growing and we are not the top users. In Japan, 99.97% of decedents are reportedly cremated!
Most people think “cremains”, (cremation ashes) can be used to fertilize a plant or tree. In fact, cremains are toxic to plant life, being too alkaline and sodium rich to support life. Even using biodegradable urns, roots will actually grow around a deposit of cremains rather than through it.
So Why Choose Green Burial?
First, it’s better for the planet and the future. Attentive members of recent generations have studied the environment and sustainable living. They have become increasingly dedicated to more natural living and respect for the earth and their environment. In completing their natural cycle of life, they want to enrich, not damage their earthly home as they leave. Rather than a large upright stone for a memorial, some would prefer a rabbit for a headstone one day and perhaps a deer or fox on another!
Green burial allows for more meaningful family involvement if desired – preparing and transporting the body, possibly helping prepare or fill in the grave. It speaks to the values of the deceased and family.
It’s worth noting that this was the normal burial method until around the civil war. Muslims and Orthodox Jews still use essentially green burial practices.
As the green burial movement grows, it has the potential to protect and restore hundreds of thousands of acres around the world.
How Does Green Burial Work?
The Green Burial Council states “Green burial is a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that furthers legitimate ecological aims such as the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health, and the restoration and/or preservation of habitat.” They also tend to be more affordable than conventional burials, saving family wealth for future generations.
Green or Natural burials forgo chemical embalming and bury bodies in natural and biodegradable materials such as a cotton shroud, wicker or pine casket.
Burial depth is enough to secure the body but less than the typical “six feet” so that decomposition is actually encouraged rather than avoided. The idea is that the body decomposes to enrich the earth around it, to actually feed the flora and fauna above!
Flat stone or wood markers are used to mark the graves so the land can be managed. A green cemetery will look more like a lightly forested nature preserve or meadow area than a graveyard.