Share & Voice: A "Green" Burial...Return Naturally!

Okay, so I know this topic might be a little morbid, but I have honestly gave it some serious thought. I have always wondered: what happens to cemeteries when they get full? After watching the documentary, "Green" and learning about all of the garbage people put into the ground, I thought: what about caskets? They go into the ground too! I did some research and found some staggering statistics about the pollutants involved in a "traditional" burial:

Each year, 22,500 cemeteries across the United States bury approximately:

• embalming fluid: 827,060 gallons, which includes formaldehyde
• caskets: 90,272 tons of steel
• caskets: 2,700 tons of copper and bronze
• caskets: 30-plus million board feet of hardwoods
• vaults: 1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete
• vaults: 14,000 tons of steel

After even more research, I discovered that there is an alternative to "traditional" burials! It is called a "green" or "natural" burial. Below is more information about this practice (all information was taken from Wikepedia).

* The body is prepared without chemical preservatives or disinfectants such as embalming fluid, whenever that fluid contains formaldehyde or another active agent that destroys the microbial decomposers necessary to break the body down.

* The body may be buried in a biodegradable coffin or shroud. The grave does not use a burial vault and it should be dug to a depth shallow enough to allow the same aerobic activity found in composting.

* Natural burials that permit full decomposition can take place in conventional cemeteries as well as dedicated natural burial grounds. Therefore, the act of burial should be considered distinct from landscaping and management techniques (restoration ecology; habitat conservation projects; permaculture etc.) that may vary widely from site to site and are used to maintain the burial area in perpetuity.

* A natural burial ground often uses grave markers that do not intrude on the landscape. These natural markers can include shrubs and trees, or a flat indigenous stone which may be engraved. The burial ground may be designed with centralised memorial structures where visitors can sit within an emerging forest. As in all cemeteries, there are records kept of the exact location of each interment, often using survey techniques such as GIS.

* Planting native trees, shrubs, and flowers on or near the grave establishes a living memorial and helps form a protected wildlife preserve. Irrigation is not used, nor are pesticides and herbicides applied.

* Cemetery legislation protects natural burial preserves in perpetuity from future development while the establishment of a conservation easement prevents future owners from altering the original intent for these burial grounds. For people who are mindful of the cyclical nature of life, a natural burial is an alternative to conventional burial methods.

Some Additional Resources for "Green" or "Natural" burials:

1. GreenBurials.org
2. Green Burial Council
3. The Centre for Natural Burial
4. Find a Natural Burial Preserve in the United States
5. How to Plan a Natural Burial

After learning more about natural burials, I decided this is an idea I would like to look further into and seriously consider in a future funeral plan. As they say, "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."