The Centre for Natural Burial

By Jason Wright , MILTON HERALD

Property owner Jim Bell wants to turn 10 acres of his farm into a green burial site, North Fulton’s first. He would like to partner with Milton to help use some of the profits from the site to buy more green space in the city.

MILTON — Jim Bell has owned a 33-acre farm on Birmingham Road for the last 35 years, and lately he’s been looking to turn it into something rather unusual.

His plan, put simply, is to turn it into a cemetery. But not the type with impenetrable caskets and tombstones; rather, a green burial site.

That means none of the bodies will have been preserved with formaldehyde and any casket will biodegrade over time, leaving the body to literally return to the soil.

“I’ve been interested in this for a while,” said Bell, who has lived on Richland Farm for more than 35 years. He said he got the idea to turn the pasture into a green burial site after hearing about similar plans in South Carolina and at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery in Conyers.

So he contacted Conservation Burial Partners, the consulting arm of eco-friendly group Green Burial Council, to evaluate the site.

‘One’s last act can not only preserve this farm, but other properties as well.’
JIM BELL Owner of Richland Farm

And they liked what they saw.

Currently, the company is working on putting 10 acres of the site, located behind Boiling Springs Baptist Church, into a land trust, with plans to include the whole farm.

But what makes Bell’s idea most noteworthy is that he would like to partner with Milton to ensure the city keeps its green space.

For the partnership, Conservation Burial Partners would provide a percentage of the profits from the venture to Milton. From there, the city could buy land to preserve or easements to keep land from being developed, said Community Development Director Tom Wilson at the April 21 work session, where the idea was brought before council.

“They feel that by partnering with us and sharing the proceeds it will help them sell this concept,” said Wilson.

advertisement
To receive the money, Milton would start a non-profit corporation, not unlike its Public Safety Foundation. Bell is hoping the land the city purchases could afford the city ample parks and settings for the planned Milton Trail.

“In this way, one’s last act can not only preserve this farm, but other properties as well,” he said.

Bell and Green Burial partners are moving full-speed ahead with adapting the site for use as a green cemetery.

Their work includes interviewing operators who would manage the site and certifying locally owned funeral homes to become green burial providers.

“Naturally there is much work to be done, but things are moving along nicely,” said Bell.

At the work session Wilson said City Attorney Angie Davis is looking into the partnership to iron out the details. There should be more information available on the city’s options at the May 12 meeting, he said.