Green burial is making a bigger impact this year, as news outlets search for more interesting “eco-friendly” stories to share and different angles to discuss the concept of global warming.
Because of this, the general public is going to start asking more questions about the options available and will, invariably, begin seeking out funeral professionals to answer those inquiries.
To help you, I’ve begun gathering stories about the topic and searching out product wholesalers who carry the necessary funeral products.
Look for more about green burial on these pages in January. Until then, enjoy these stories from news outlets and past posts from Final Embrace:
Dust to Dust? More Ask for Eco-Friendly Funerals (MSNBC) Thanks, Robin!\
Website: Green Burials
Wikipedia Entry for: Eco-Cemetery
Final Embrace Story: Changing Your Image
Meet Your Maker Interview: Darren Crouch of Passages International, Inc.
December 29, 2007 at 5:33 am
Good morning Tim
I note that you are “searching out product wholesalers” in relation to green burial products. My I suggest that you check out the caskets on http://www.kentcasket.com
The fully biodegradable caskets are approved by the US Green Burial Council and the Natural Death Centre, London (England); they are made from solid pine wood which is sourced from sustainable forests.
These finely crafted caskets are designed for green eco-friendly natural burials and cremations and for those families who wish to conduct their own funeral.
They are sanded to a cabinet smooth finish, which brings out the natural colours of the wood. No plastic or metal is incorporated in the caskets during their production and they are free of any stains, varnishes, oils, or animal products; only biodegradable, non-toxic glue is used. Functional rope handles are supplied.
The caskets are shipped in knock-down form; the components are shrink-wrapped in plastic for damp proofing and placed in a strong corrugated cardboard box in order to withstand rough handling. The boxes are only 3 inches high so are easily stored and easily transported.
The caskets are extremely easy to assemble and done in a matter of minutes. No woodworking expertise or tools, other than a screwdriver, are required; assembly instructions are supplied with every casket and pictures showing the assembly process can be viewed on the website.
Despite the high quality of the caskets, they are quite inexpensive – the Regular model costs just $510 including shipping!
Best wishes.
Tony Bryan
January 8, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Natural Burial Around the World
The modern concept of natural burial began in the UK in 1993 and has since spread across the globe. According the Centre for Natural Burial, http://naturalburial.coop there are now several hundred natural burial grounds in the United Kingdom and half a dozen sites across the USA, with others planned in Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and even China.
A natural burial allows you to use your funeral as a conservation tool to create, restore and protect urban green spaces.
The Centre for Natural Burial provides comprehensive resources supporting the development of natural burial and detailed information about natural burial sites around the world. With the Natural Burial Co-operative newsletter you can stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the rapidly growing trend of natural burial including, announcements of new and proposed natural burial sites, book reviews, interviews, stories and feature articles.
The Centre for Natural Burial
May 19, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I’m all for green burial. In fact, our funeral home along with our other independent Life Story Funeral Home affiliates are all recommended “green certified” providers through the Green Burial Council headed by Joe Sehee. Our sister company the Today Center (www.todaycenter.com) has already conducted and also arranged for green burials via the GBC. If you look into the future and study exactly what “boomers want” I feel confident that in a short 10 years there will be both a need for more true “Green Burial” certified cemeteries and many boomers electing to have a green burial for them self. The eco-friendly generation isn’t focused on the “cost” of the burial, they are focused on the environmental friendliness of their decision. In my opinion, funeral service professionals should not take this movement lightly - look how hybrid cars, or the whole foods industry has grown tremendously. These are the same people who in 10-25 years will be looking for an alternative burial solution.