GREEN BURIAL

In the most familiar definition, a green burial means a person is buried in a container that can decompose, along with their human remains, and return to the soil. Ideally, all aspects of a green burial are as organic as possible. The body is not filled with embalming chemicals, and it is placed in the earth without vaults or nonbiodegradable caskets. The end goal of green burial is that nothing is used that doesn’t help replenish the soil.

The Most Important Aspects of a Green Burial 

There are lots of ways to make a burial more environmentally friendly, but a few components are most important for creating a true green burial.

1. Don’t Use a Decorative Casket

The typical casket used today is not made to be biodegradable; it is made for preservation. Modern burial boxes are manufactured from reinforced steel or shellacked hardwoods, then embellished with metals, handles, and ornamentation. All that metal, lacquer, and toxic glue is certainly not good for the environment. If you decide you want a casket, opt for a basic wooden casket, like a plain pine box, or one made from other natural materials: bamboo, sea grass, banana leaves, and even willow branches. Earth-friendly caskets are fully biodegradable. They will break down to nothing, and they shouldn’t have any traces of metal, toxic glue, plastic, or varnish. However, you don’t need to use a casket at all. A deceased person can easily be wrapped in a favorite nonbleached or dyed cloth, blanket, or tapestry, and several types of commercially made burial shrouds and wraps are now sold. 

2. Don’t Use a Burial Vault or Grave Liner

A burial vault — also referred to as a grave box, casket liner, or outer burial container — is a container made from concrete or polypropylene, and it is used to surround the casket for maximum preservation and to prevent the grave from collapsing over time. Green cemeteries prohibit them entirely, and traditional cemeteries are beginning to forgo their obligatory inclusion. A green burial should be designed to allow the body to naturally return to the earth at the fastest rate possible. By not using a vault, the process happens much more quickly.

3. Decline Embalming

Embalming fluid contains formaldehyde, a likely carcinogen that is hazardous to the environment as well as to the embalmer. Not using standard embalming may mean that a funeral must happen more quickly. However, alternatives do exist for preserving a body for a moderate period, such as “green embalming” techniques as well as good old-fashioned refrigeration and dry ice. If you are using a funeral home, they will be able to assist with standard refrigeration, but if you are handling the body yourself, you will need some instruction. However, don’t let the idea of an unpreserved body gross you out. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes it clear that the average dead body is neither dangerous nor contagious. 

4. Use a Green Burial Site

Ideally, to ensure an eco-friendly burial, choose a fully green burial ground whose sole purpose is eco-conservation. Another great choice is a hybrid or low-impact green cemetery, a burial area that has adopted environmental practices but also allows for traditional graves. Or, if the law allows it and the land is available, consider a backyard burial. A backyard burial takes some extra planning, and some extra work, but it may be the greenest way to say good-bye.