Cemetery thinking outside the box
By: Kathryn Bursch, Tampa Bay’s 10 News
Dunedin, Florida – The owner of a Pinellas cemetery wants people to think outside the box. At Eternal Rest Memories Park there’s now a section for green burials.
Owner Charles Scalisi says these burials usually involve no embalming fluid or casket. “It’s environmentally friendly…you can’t get any more natural than nature and this is as basic as it gets.”
And while environmentalists might find this green option attractive, so might families without a lot of green. A traditional burial can run $10,000 or more. Scalisi offers his green burial for about $2,300 dollars. That’s about the same as cremation and provides yet another option for families.
If you’d like a biodegradable coffin, Scalisi offers a plain wood box for $500.
And while green burial harkens back to simpler times, this version also includes some modern technology. An electronic marker will be buried with a body, so that families using a sensor can find the grave’s exact location.
Green burial is not a new idea. It’s quite popular in England and the Glendale Nature Preserve in Florida’s Panhandle has been offering green burials for six years.
Going green is a way of life and now that doesn’t have to end when you die.