What Does Green Burial Mean? An Eco Friendly Burial

“What doe green burial mean?” was a questioned I was asked recently when discussing end of life issues with a family.

The answer may surprise you. Baby boomers are trend setters and are even making a difference when it comes to end of life issues and the death industry.

The Green Burial movement has been started as a result of  dissatisfaction with the typical or  funeral expectations and rites. Many people, when they discover what| exactly what occurs takes place in the embalming space, find themselves rather horrified.

Many find the cost of final expenses outrageous. Many have learned that the death industry takes advantage of them at a time of great stress when they are overcome with grief. Many are taking a proactive approach and planning for their funeral ahead of time.  The result has been a  growing concern about the ecological impacts of the use of all these chemical used in the embalming process and products. Baby boomers concerned about the environment have led to the growth of the eco friendly burial.

This growing trend has lead to lot of natural cemeteries functioning as a nature preserve. This, of course, is a big selling point for the baby boomers that like the concept of contributing in a positive way to the environment even after death. A green burial actually allows the body to join contribute and return to the cycle of life.

So What Does Green Burial Mean?

A green burial , also called a  natural burial, ensures  the burial site continues to be as natural as possible in all respects. That means simple and natural. Interment of the body is prepared in a bio-degradable casket, shroud, or a even a favorite blanket. There are no embalming fluids used and  no concrete vaults or safes.

If to live is to die, then to die is to live on. — Palle Oswald

Why you may want to consider a green burial?

To many, they believe it is clear that nature has intended that our bodies be reunited with the earth. They believe that all organisms that have actually lived, have passed away and gone back to the soil …only to be be turned into a new life. The constant microbial activity  that occurs in the earths soil breaks down everything down. Nature recycles and does not develop waste.

Many boomers, in keeping with their personal values, feel a green burial site,  for the family, even  the family pet, promotes  growth and continued development of native trees, bushes and wildflowers.  This in turn brings birds and  many other wildlife to the area. A green burial means that water is not wasted,  and pesticides nor herbicides are used in  an attempts to manage nature.

Rather, a green cemetery enables nature to  take it’s course.A green burial may include  planting native trees, shrubs and/or native flowers in your family member’s honor to promote habitat restoration. YOu may want to consider a green burial  to encourage land conservation, a green cemetery grants a conservation easement for the burial site.

More on What Does Green Burial Mean?…

Green Burial versus  Cremation

A green burial is an alternative to cremation as well as the conventional or traditional burial practices we are most familiar with in the United States. It is an earth friendly option when considering burial versus cremation. When thinking about green burial versus cremation,consider it  as an earth friendly option.  Many|families pick cremation because it is viewed as more eco friendly burial than the traditional or conventional burial practices. Because it’s seen as an even more environmentally friendly practice than traditional burials, many families pick cremation.

Many are not aware that the practice of embalming, expensive closed caskets and burial vaults are not required by law.  Though traditional cemeteries may require them, a green cemetery or memorial nature preserve does not.  The simplicity of a green burial is in tune with nature and need not be expensive.

Until just recently}, interment in an eco friendly burial ground was not an option. Boomers now have the option to  consider a green burial, helping to preserve|open spaces|throughout the United States. This will increasingly|become a cremation alternative.

I encourage families to plan for their funeral in advance. Look at all the options and make a decision based on your needs and beliefs. Planning ahead,  alleviates your family members the distress that comes with having to make  challenging, and frequently  pricey decisions after your death}. It is important to include your family and friends now, so difficult decisions do not require to| have to be made in a time of grief.

The world is changing and the restrictions and environmental concerns are pushing modern-day man to explore brand-new options for  taking care of the dead. So eco friendly burial practices are developing. Here are a few that you may want to explore.

Want to decrease your carbon footprint Resomation may be a process to consider

There is only one funeral home in the United State that presently offers resomation as an alternative to cremation or traditional burial practices. Located in St. Petersburg, Florida,  Anderson-McQueen funeral home currently offers resomation. This is an option that liquefies the bodies tissues  as an alternative to traditional cremation. This process, called resomationor or “bio-cremation,” makes use of heated water and potassium hydroxide to liquefy the body, leaving only|the

bones behind. The bones are then pulverized, much as in routine cremation, and the bone fragments are returned to the family| members in an urn.

There is a growing number of families every year that are interested in cremation,in an effort to decrease  their carbon footprint that they leave behind. This is a more eco friendly burial process than flame-based cremation.

The cremation process utilizes the natural-gas-fueled fire, which reaches temperature levels of 1,600 to 1,800 degreesFahrenheit (871 to 982 degrees Celsius), then launches carbon dioxide, in addition to trace chemicals such as mercury from dental fillings.

The resomation process requires water of  just 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) and takes the same amount of time as  the traditional cremation process, so it is less energy-intensive. In addition, fillings and  various other medical implants can be eliminated from the bone before the  liquid, now sterilized, is  discarded into the municipal wastewater system.

“It breaks the body down to the very basic amino acids, so there’s no DNA,with absolutely nothing humanly identifiable remaining.

What Does Green Burial Mean? An Eco Friendly Burial

Eternal or Everlasting Reefs

My tomb shall be in a spot where the north wind may scatter roses over it. — Omar Khayyam

Eternal Reefs, a Georgia based company, offers a burial concept for those who prefer to support  an aquatic environment after death. Eternals Reefs has developed an artificial reef material from a mixture of concrete and human cremains (the crushed bone left over from cremations). These heavy concrete orbs are then placed in areas where reefs need restoration. This  attracts fish and  various other organisms.  The remains continue to be  part of the undersea environment.

Freeze-Drying or Promession

The most recent method of  the eco- friendly burial process is  called Promession, or more simply put, , freeze-drying.This green burial process was created} by Swedish marine biologist Susanne Wiigh-Masak. Promession involves immersing the remains in liquid nitrogen. This makes the body extremely brittle. The process is completed in a vacuum chamber where vibrations shake the body apart and the water is evaporated|. Next, a separator filters out|any mercury fillings or medical implants, and the powdered remains are laid to rest in a shallow grave. With a shallow burial, oxygen and water can combined with the powdered remains, turning them into garden compost.

What Does Green Burial Mean? It means something different to every individual. As baby boomers move to the the end of their lives, the green burial process will grow and so will the options.

What are your thoughts on a green burial?

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