The Final Carbon Footprint
By The Carbon Offset Review
For those that spend their lives respecting the Earth through recycling, carpooling, conserving energy, etc., traditional burials just don’t make sense. Everything about a traditional burial seems unnatural. Imagine having one’s body pumped full of chemicals to stop the natural process of decomposition when they’ve spent their entire life eating organic, preservative free foods. Or being entombed in a cement chamber for all eternity when every day was spent in the great outdoors. Add to that the way we litter the beautiful countryside with stone monoliths and crucifixes and you probably would make any environmentalist turn over in his or her grave. Even the seemingly fitting funeral involving scattering one’s ashes on a pristine mountain top has its own dark side with the consumption of fossil fuels during cremation and the production of emissions that can include not only carbon monoxide but also mercury from dental fillings. But luckily there are now green choices in how we are laid to rest.
Green burials banish harsh chemical preservatives and traditional caskets which in addition to making them more eco friendly, it also lowers the cost. Going green is even more economical all the way around. A person’s un-embalmed remains can either be put directly in the ground, or shrouded in cloth. The Natural Burial Company now sells biodegradable Ecopods made out of recycled paper. Designed to look more like a sarcophagus than a casket, the pods are available in several colors with silk screened designs, decompose quickly after the burial. Even more traditionally shaped caskets are being made out of cardboard, wicker and pine.
Although some funeral practitioners claim that embalming is vital for preventing the spread of disease, there is no federal law requiring it. The Green Burial Council also disputes their disease prevention claim stating, “There is no evidence suggesting that embalming provides any public health benefits.” Decisions do have to be made fairly quickly, however, because with green burials bodies can only be preserved using dry ice for up to four days prior to burial.
Once the bodies have been laid to rest, green burials shun the large ornate markers to denote gravesite location. Some green cemeteries simply use rocks, plants and trees that compliment the native landscape to mark a loved one’s final resting place. Other cemeteries have forgone markers altogether in favor of a more high-tech approach with GPS systems. Visitors to the cemeteries now can use GPS systems to find the exact location of their relative. Soon handheld devices will also be able to display photos and biographies of person buried beneath.
Currently green cemeteries exist in California, Florida, Michigan, New York, South Carolina and Texas with several proposed in Colorado, Wisconsin and Washington. Even some traditional cemeteries are starting to set aside portions of their land for green burials. Finding an eco-friendly site might take some work but the effort is well worth it. While the average cost of a traditional burial is around $6,500 your average green burial costs a mere $2,000 making it not only a more eco-friendly, but cost effective choice as well.