by Andew B. Hoffman
In my last two articles, I explained how a green burial works. The funeral service may be traditional, then 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.
