By Andrew Hoffman
In my last article, I explained how many are opting for a more natural, environmental friendly burial process. A green burial service starts off much like a traditional burial or a cremation service. The family contacts the funeral home and the funeral home brings the deceased back to the funeral home to place the person under the firms 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.
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.
