Green Burials: A Return to Natural Death Care Practices

.

About This Blog

In this week’s episode with Carin Bonifacino, co-founder of Friends of Green Burial PA and a funeral celebrant at Naugle and Grieco Funeral Homes in Pennsylvania, we explored the growing movement towards natural burial practices. With extensive experience in death care education and advocacy, Bonifacino brings valuable insights into modern burial practices shifting back to more environmentally conscious approaches. As a leading voice in the green burial movement, she works to educate communities about sustainable end-of-life options and help expand access to natural burial grounds across Pennsylvania and the U.S.

The concept of green burial isn't new - it's a return to traditional practices existing before the modernization of the funeral industry. Today, this movement represents a growing desire to make death more environmentally sustainable, meaningful, and naturally aligned with the planet. Let's explore why this centuries-old practice is making a powerful comeback and how it's reshaping our approach to death care in the modern world.

Understanding Green Burial: A Return to Traditional Practices

Green burials have been the way humans were buried for thousands of years before the invention of modern funeral practices. Unlike conventional burials involving embalming, metal caskets, and concrete vaults, green burial allows the body to return naturally to the earth. The process involves placing an unembalmed body directly into the soil using biodegradable materials like shrouds, pine boxes, or wicker caskets. This practice is legal in all 50 states, though availability varies significantly by region.

Interestingly, certain religious communities, particularly Jewish and Muslim traditions, have maintained natural burial practices throughout history. These communities have long embraced the use of shrouds and quick burial without embalming, demonstrating the cultural and spiritual significance of returning to the earth naturally. A study by the National Funeral Directors Association shows a growing interest in green burial options, with 68% of respondents expressing interest in exploring eco-friendly funeral options.

According to Bonifacino, the modern green burial movement in the United States began in the late 1990s with the opening of the first natural burial grounds in South Carolina. Since then, approximately 400 cemeteries across the U.S. and Canada have begun offering green burial options. However, this represents just a fraction of available cemeteries, highlighting the significant room for growth in this movement.

The Environmental Impact: Why Green Burial Matters

Traditional burial practices have a substantial environmental footprint. According to the Green Burial Council, conventional burials in the United States annually use approximately 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluid, 20 million board feet of hardwood, 1.6 million tons of concrete, and 64,500 tons of steel. Green burial eliminates these materials, significantly reducing the environmental impact of death care.

One of the most significant differences in green burial is the depth of the grave. Unlike conventional "six feet under" burials, green burials typically place the body three to four feet deep. This depth is scientifically optimal, allowing for proper decomposition through microbial activity while still protecting the body from disturbance. This shallower depth also means less soil disruption and reduced equipment use during the burial process.

Green burial grounds also serve as natural conservation areas. These spaces are maintained as nature preserves rather than manicured lawns, supporting local ecosystems and wildlife. With lower density requirements - typically 300-800 burials per acre compared to up to 1,200 in conventional cemeteries - these grounds better preserve natural landscapes and can even help restore damaged ecosystems.

The Process and Options Available

Bonifacino mentions when choosing green burial, families have several options for containing their loved one's remains:

  1. Shrouds: Natural fiber wrappings ($300-500)
  2. Pine boxes: Simple wooden caskets ($500-1,500)
  3. Wicker caskets: Hand-woven natural containers ($1,500-3,500)

The process begins similarly to traditional funeral services - the funeral home retrieves the deceased and maintains the body through refrigeration rather than embalming. This preservation method safely maintains the body for several weeks, allowing families time to arrange services and gatherings.

Conclusion: Leaving an Eco-Friendly Final Footprint

As awareness of environmental issues grows and people seek more meaningful end-of-life options, green burial provides a compelling alternative to conventional practices. Whether motivated by environmental concerns, spiritual beliefs, or a desire for simplicity, exploring green burial options can be an essential part of end-of-life planning.

Quick Tips for Exploring Green Burial Options for Your End-of-Life Plan:

  • Contact local funeral homes to inquire about their natural burial services
  • Research green burial advocacy groups in your state
  • Visit the Green Burial Council website for certified provider listings
  • Consider pre-planning to ensure your wishes are known and can be carried out
  • Discuss your preferences with family members and include them in your advance directives

Remember, end-of-life planning is a gift to your loved ones, and choosing a green burial can leave a lasting positive impact on both your family and the environment.

Helpful links: 

Friends of Green Burial PA: https://greenburialpa.org/

Green Burial Council: https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/

Conservation Burial Alliance: https://www.conservationburialalliance.org/

 

 

Related Blog

Duis mi velit, auctor vitae leo a, luctus congue dolor. Nullam at velit quis tortor malesuada ultrices vitae vitae lacus. Curabitur tortor purus, tempor in dignissim eget, convallis in lorem.

Navigating Digital Legacy: Planning for Your Online Footprint

In an age where our lives are increasingly lived online, the concept of digital legacy has become more pressing than ever. The rapid evolution of technology has changed not just how we live, but how we are remembered after we pass. With personal data, social media accounts, financial information, and even cherished memories stored digitally, the question of what happens to these assets when we die is a critical one.
How AI Technology is Reshaping Our Relationship with Mortality

In a time when our lives are increasingly intertwined with technology, the collision of death and digital innovation presents opportunities and challenges previous generations couldn’t foresee happening. Dr. Sarah Parker Ward, an end-of-life futurist and professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, brings her perspective to this new frontier. With a background in digital advertising and a PhD from Boston University, Dr. Parker Ward's journey into death technology began with a profound personal experience during her grandfather's end-of-life journey. This experience, combined with her academic exploration of how industrialization has transformed both birth and death mindsets, highlights her voice in understanding how technology is reshaping our relationship with mortality. Game Changes in Death Technology The concept of death technology, or "death tech," encompasses innovations that span the entire spectrum of end-of-life experiences, from aging and hospice through post-mortem care. This evolving field is being driven partly by demographic shifts, like baby boomers, with approximately 11,000 individuals turning 65 each day. This demographic has geared entrepreneurs and private equity firms who recognize the significant market potential to develop technological solutions for end-of-life needs. On the one hand, there's a movement toward what Tony Walter termed "The Revival of Death" in the mid-1990s, where people are seeking to return to more personalized, less industrialized approaches to post-mortem care, similar to practices from the mid-1800s. On the other hand, there's a surge in technological innovations aimed at enhancing and personalizing the end-of-life experience through digital means. The crossed paths of these trends have led to the development of various digital tools and platforms that aim to make end-of-life planning more easy and accessible. One of the more popular innovations to come from this include pre-planning platforms that generate personalized letters explaining funeral arrangements and applications designed to help parents create legacy messages for their children, demonstrating how technology can be used to maintain meaningful connections even after death. Digital Legacies and Virtual Immortality The management of our digital legacy is crucial for end-of-life planning. Our digital footprints are vast and complex, encompassing everything from social media accounts and email to digital subscriptions and online banking. Our digital presence raises important questions about data management and privacy that extend after we have passed on. One of the most controversial developments in this space is the emergence of "grief bots" - artificial intelligence systems designed to simulate conversation with deceased individuals based on their digital communication patterns. While these technologies offer the alluring possibility of maintaining a connection with lost loved ones, they also raise significant ethical concerns about the authenticity of these interactions and their impact on the natural grieving process and the person experiencing loss. Advanced planning for digital assets has become a new field, requiring careful consideration of how our online presence will be managed after death. This includes decisions about account closure, data deletion, and the preservation or removal of social media profiles. The complexity of these decisions has led to the development of digital legacy advance directives, documents that specify how digital assets should be handled posthumously. The Transformation of Death Care The evolution of death care (during the passing of loved ones and after) practices reflects broader societal changes in how we approach mortality. Historical shifts in death care parallel similar changes in birth practices, with both experiencing waves of industrialization and medicalization, followed by movements toward a more empathetic outreach. Modern death care is becoming increasingly automated and personalized, with individuals seeking greater control over their end-of-life experiences. We have prepared a list of various planning tools and resources that help people articulate their wishes for both physical and digital assets. Essential considerations for modern end-of-life planning include: Advanced care directives for medical decisions Digital legacy planning for online accounts and assets Designation of legacy contacts for digital platforms Instructions for data privacy and management Preferences for memorial and remembrance practices Guidelines for executors regarding digital asset management Your Data Privacy Data privacy concerns extend beyond death, with current regulations offering limited guidance on posthumous data management. Common issues include unwanted social media reminders of deceased individuals, continued account suggestions, and questions about data ownership after death. The ability to effectively manage and potentially remove digital information after death remains a big and often overlooked question. The role of executors has expanded to include the management of digital assets, requiring not just emotional capacity but also technological competence. This new responsibility highlights the need for a careful selection of executors who can navigate both traditional and digital aspects of estate management. What will you do to protect your digital data when you pass? Planning for the Digital End As we navigate this new frontier of death in a digital age, proactive planning is important. With less than 40% of people engaging in advanced care planning, there's significant room for improvement in how we prepare for end-of-life matters. The ubiquity of smartphone technology, even among baby boomers with a 90% adoption rate, provides an accessible starting point for digital legacy planning. Try taking simple steps such as assigning legacy contacts on your devices and social media accounts. Consider creating a comprehensive digital inventory of your online presence and developing clear instructions for how you want your assets to be managed after death. Most importantly, engage in conversations with loved ones about your digital legacy preferences and ensure your wishes are documented in a way that provides clear guidance for survivors. By taking proactive steps to manage our digital legacies, we can help ensure our online presence aligns with our values and preferences, even after we're gone. If something happened to you, would the people in your life know what to do? Don't leave your loved ones in the dark. Start developing your end-of-life and digital legacy plan. Download My Final Playbook App on the App Store and Google Play to get started. Through this app, you'll be able to start and learn how to organize your legal, financial, physical, and digital assets today. Until then, keep your password safe and your playbook up to date.
Navigating Estate Planning in the Digital Age: Why Early Appraisals Matter

When it comes to estate planning, most people tend to focus on the big picture—wills, trusts, and financial assets. However, what often gets overlooked is the physical property we accumulate over a lifetime. Whether it's fine art, collectibles, heirloom jewelry, or even an extensive library, these possessions carry not only sentimental value but also potential financial implications.
Divorce and Death: Planning for Life’s Toughest Transitions

In a recent episode of "Death, Dying & The Digital Age," I had the privilege of talking with Catherine and Karen, the founders of My Divorce Solution. Their journey began over a decade ago when they started a women's empowerment group, which eventually evolved into creating an innovative online platform that helps individuals navigate the complex matters of divorce preparation. 
View All

Comments