Seems we are all dying to be green
By Sara Hawthorn, The Press
I’VE NEVER wanted to help the daisies grow when I’m dead and gone. I’d rather be stuck on a pyre and have flaming arrows shot at me. It’s not an eco-friendly option - the plumes of smoke would probably negate all those years spent doing hardcore recycling.
However, those who do wish to be buried can opt to push even greener daisies. The market for green funerals has soared - 15 years ago there was one lonely green cemetery, now the UK has 223. Two thirds of us would prefer a meadow or woodland burial.
Which is a lovely idea, pretty wild flowers, overlooked by a majestic old oak tree with a babbling brook in the background. All very romantic and idealistic, but it’s not like you’re going to be there to admire the beauty.
It’s pleasant for those coming to pay their respects, more welcoming than a traditional graveyard. I’m unclear about whether you can put up a headstone or marker in these natural environments - otherwise flower-bearing relatives may be wandering around for quite some time trying to remember where they left you.
Any land used for these cemeteries must be ecologically managed with care taken to protect habitat and archaeology, and the funeral details must also have as little environmental impact as possible.
Coffins are made of biodegradable materials (probably best to keep the box the 52inch plasma television came in then) and no embalming chemicals are used, which probably means sealed cardboard boxes as well.
Wicker coffins are also an option, but I can’t see anyone wanting to end up in an oversized laundry basket.
Personally, I’m not against eco-burials at all - just burials in general - although I do like a wander round a graveyard, not in a sombre way, just nosing at the ornate stones and the inscriptions.
Far from being creepy, graveyards are calming to walk round. I think this comes from going to lay fresh flowers at the graves of relatives with my gran when I was a girl. It seemed there were a few to get around, or maybe the graveyard was quite big.
Although 223 sounds a large number, I couldn’t even tell you where the nearest green cemetery is (maybe I’ll Google it during a quieter moment). These green cemeteries are predominantly run by private landowners and farmers and it seems to be an increasingly popular avenue for diversification.
So they will be in fairly rural areas, full of the trees and wildflowers millions of us desire as our final resting place.
One small thought to bear in mind will be the travel miles to cart you out there and the subsequent trips by family and friends to water the tree. How do you negate them? Perhaps the minimal environmental impact allows for a couple of car journeys - in a bio-fuel powered car, of course. After that it may be an afternoon cycle ride.
I can see why the concept appeals, what with all the unrelenting suggestions on how to lower our impact. It’s like clever advertising - you know you want the product, but aren’t clear what gave you the idea in the first place and can reel off endless facts about it, without knowing exactly why you want it and what it’s for (that last one may be the exception in this case).
Even in death we can’t escape our environmental responsibilities. It’s a never-ending endeavour to remove any trace of our humble existence.
Well, forget that and never mind my footprint I want to leave a great big patch of scorched smoking earth from my pyre at the very least. If I want to see a meadow or a woodland, I’ll go and haunt one.