Have you lived your life in a “green” way, responsibly recycling and caring for the natural world? If so, you might consider doing just that in death too. How? Well there is a fairly recent movement to promote “green” or “natural” burials. In fact the Canadian Natural Burial Association was founded a mere ten years ago in 2005 http://www.naturalburialassoc.ca/ as was the American Green Burial Council http://greenburialcouncil.org/ .
Although the green burial movement is recent, this form of burial is actually a return to the way things have been done throughout most of human history. Embalming, in America, only began with the Civil War. Author Gary Laderman states that is was only "after the funeral journey of Abraham Lincoln's embalmed body from Washington D.C. to Springfield, (that embalming) slowly gained legitimacy". http://www.alternet.org/story/147435/why_has_it_become_standard_practice_in_the_u.s._to_embalm_our_dead
What is green burial?
Some months ago, I was privileged to hear a presentation on green burial by one of the leaders of the movement, Father Charles Morris. Morris stated that green burial is “a way of caring for the dead that furthers one or more environmental aims such as the protection of worker health, conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions and the preservation/restoration of habitat.” Such burials are much less expensive and more eco-friendly because unlike traditional burials they require:
- No embalming, no toxic chemicals need to be used
- No vaults or metal caskets, merely a shroud or simple, easily decomposable casket
- No burning, unlike cremation, so no use of energy and no greenhouse gases are created.
Morris also outlined what he sees as the “Spirituality of Green Burial” namely that green burial:
- Brings us closer to the natural realm
- Embraces an aesthetic of simplicity
- Allows the family to be more involved in the burial
- Speaks to a vision that humans are “a part of” and not “apart from” creation
- Gives people a last way to witness to their values.
Where can a green burial happen?
Currently the U.S. has 49 green cemeteries and the U.K. has 300. Under the administration of F. Morris, Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Wyandotte, Michigan (near Detroit) became Michigan’s first and the first U.S. Catholic cemetery to be certified by the Green Burial Council. For more information about F. Morris (he has done a lot more than just promoting green burials!) please click on the following link: http://archive.freep.com/article/20110417/BUSINESS06/104170449/The-Rev-Charles-Morris-Humans-were-put-Earth-gardeners- .
Ontario has three cemeteries that have reserved a portion of their land for natural burials, namely Cobourg Union Cemetery, Duffin Meadows Cemetery in Pickering and Meadowvale Cemetery in Brampton. Canada’s first, Royal Oak Burial Park, is in Victoria. To learn more about the Canadian situation go to http://www.thestar.com/news/death_and_dying/2014/05/26/green_burials_earth_friendly_even_in_death.html.
I highly recommend that you take the time to view this excellent video below.
Would a green burial fit with your values?
Ann Steadman
Associate