Green burials befriend the environment
By Kevin Strauss, Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
Concerns about the environment seem to be entering almost every industry, and the “death care” — or funeral — industry is no exception. The “green burial” movement is catching on in the United States.
According to proponents such as the Green Burial Council, a green burial is one that doesn’t involve embalming, concrete burial vaults or airtight metal caskets. Advocates point to potential groundwater pollution concerns from the formaldehyde used in embalming and resource consumption when we bury 1.8 million metal or wooden caskets and concrete burial vaults each year.
“Every year, we bury enough metal to rebuild the Golden Gate Bridge and enough concrete to build a two-lane highway from New York City to Detroit,” said Green Burial Council Executive Director Joe Sehee.
The trend toward green burials hasn’t hit Rochester yet. Both Mike Arendt from Ranfranz & Vine Funeral Homes and Crematory and Randy Vine of Mahn Family Funeral & Crematory Services said they haven’t had any customer requests for green burials.
While exact statistics are hard to find, Sehee estimates there were 2,000 environmentally friendly Christian burials last year. The total number of “green burials” is much larger if you include many traditional Jewish and Muslim burials that are already eco-friendly. Sehee expects those numbers to grow, citing a national survey where 20 percent of respondents older than 50 would prefer “green burial” to conventional death care.
Back to tradition
Sehee sees his organization as advocating the kind of burials done in most countries around the world today and the kind of burial that was practiced in this country until the early 1900s. He cities environmental, economic and spiritual benefits for green burials. While conventional burials can cost $6,000 to $8,000, green burials can be half the cost or less. These more natural burials also follow the tradition of “ashes to ashes and dust to dust” since bodies and “green” caskets decompose and turn back into soil. This doesn’t happen in conventional burials, where embalmed bodies in airtight coffins and vaults might never decompose. That idea of keeping bodies preserved forever bothers some people.
“I think we should give nature a chance to dispose of bodies naturally,” said Thomas Gabor, of Mendota Heights, Minn. Gabor is planning a “green burial” when his time comes.
Legal issues
“Legally, you don’t have to be embalmed before burial unless you will have a public viewing of the body, the person had a communicable disease or the body will be buried more than 72 hours after death,” said Vine. “In those cases, the state steps in and requires embalming for public health reasons.”
According to Sehee, some funeral directors use refrigeration and dry ice cooling to preserve a body, without embalming, before burial. Even though state law may not require it, Arendt reports that most of his customers request embalming.
No state law requires concrete burial vaults, either, but according to Vine, the cemeteries that he works with require at least a non-sealing vault for burials.
“If you just buried the body and casket without a vault, the casket could decompose and the grave would sink in, causing maintenance and liability issues for the cemetery,” said Vine.
The Green Burial Council both helps people find “green burial” options and certifies “green” cemeteries around the country. According to Sehee, the group has talked with cemetery operators in Minnesota but has not certified any “green” cemeteries in the state.
cremation is a good green choice. ashes are very good for soil and plants. donating one’s body to science is also a good choice - and saves a lot of money. I read where there is as much as a 3000 percent markup on caskets!