By Andrew B. Hoffman
Green Burial, also known as natural burial is a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health and the restoration and/or preservation of habitat. Green burial necessitates the use of non-toxic and biodegradable materials such as wicker/bamboo caskets, linen and cotton cloths or shrouds.
The beginning process of a green burial service starts off much like a traditional burial and any of the different types of cremation services. When someone passes away the family contacts the funeral home and the funeral home brings the deceased back to the funeral home to place the person under the firm’s care. Then based on the families wishes one of two things happens, the deceased is embalmed by a green embalming method or is placed under refrigeration. Again, some individuals don’t like the idea of embalming while some people are fine with the procedure or the situation may call for it based on the time involved for family to get home for viewing and services. Green embalming is a method that uses a special environmentally safe fluid that temporarily preserves the individual and restores a semblance of color because of vascular color distribution. The fluid itself does not preserve as well as regular embalming fluid but it is not toxic and is actually made from natural plant oils, one of them coming from the common vanilla plant.
Following the green embalming or being taken out of refrigeration the deceased is bathed, shaved if needed; eyes and mouth closed naturally and would then be dressed in clothing that is made from natural materials such as cotton or wool, possibly a shroud.
Most green burial cemeteries have a requirement that nothing artificial is allowed to be buried with the deceased. Assuming that the family wants a viewing it is at this point the loved one would be cosmetized with cosmetics that are natural and water based as opposed to oil based. Then the deceased would be placed in a biodegradable or green casket for viewing, funeral, transport and burial. A green casket is anything made of naturally occurring materials such as wood, wicker, bamboo or seagrass. The point is for the individual to return to the earth and hence the casket must be strong enough to hold and transport the deceased but also break down in a short amount of time.
Following the services if any, the loved one would then be transported to a green burial cemetery for final internment. Green burial cemeteries have two classifications the first is a Hybrid green burial cemetery, which means that it does both traditional burials and green burials. The second classification is a green burial cemetery that only does green burials and is called a Natural Burial Ground. Currently in Atlantic county there are three Hybrid Green Burial Cemeteries and one Natural Burial Ground. Both types of cemeteries bury in a similar fashion in that the graves are about four to six feet in depth and a vault is not used to protect the casket or support the grave. The difference is that the Natural Burial Ground’s grave is dug and filled-in by hand as opposed to a backhoe and the grave-site is not marked with a traditional monument but with a mountain stone or not at all. Some green burial cemeteries use GPS coordinates to mark the location of the deceased.
The green burial casket is lowered into the grave directly in contact with the earth following the graveside committal rites, if any. The grave is then filled-in, covering the casket and the deceased’s remains will return back to the earth. This method of disposition is extremely environmentally friendly, reducing the carbon footprint in the funeral process to a minimum and appeals to the environmentally conscious. It is also appealing to those individuals who are searching for a “simple” funeral or service that requires less preparation of the deceased if chosen and a natural place of rest. With the world becoming ever more complicated and more generations having environmental concerns, I am sure the green burials will start to be requested more to the point of being commonplace.
Andrew B. Hoffman is a funeral director at Jeffries and Keates and Keates-Plum Funeral Homes and a twenty-two year veteran of the funeral industry.
