Going Out Green
One man’s adventure planning his own natural burial.
A recent AARP poll asked, “Which type of burial is most appealing?” Only 8 percent answered that they wanted a traditional cemetery burial, and only 18 percent chose cremation. An amazing 70 percent of those polled through the website said that they wanted a green burial.
But what is a natural or “green” burial? And how does one go about planning one?
Ever since reading about the strange last request of iconic environmental writer Edward Abbey, Bob Butz has quietly wondered about how he might like his own burial to one day play out. “I want my body to help fertilize the growth of a cactus or cliff rose or sagebrush or tree,” he wrote. Abbey wanted no undertakers, no coffin, and no embalming fluid. In 1989, Abbey died at home surrounded by family and a handful of close friends who later wrapped his body in a blue sleeping bag, loaded it into the back of a pickup truck, and—after stopping for five cases of beer and a bottle of whiskey to pour on the grave—buried him in a secret place in the Arizona desert. This intriguing last chapter of a man seen as the father of modern environmental writing also serves as a model for an increasingly popular alternative to the expensive, environmentally unsustainable practices associated with conventional burials.
As an award-winning author and amateur naturalist, Butz is a man who’s spent most of his career writing about the magic of woods, water, wildlife, the open air, and the soul-stirring goodness of a life lived close to the land. Yet, when it comes to living green, this pickup driving, diaper-changing, thirty-something, stay-at-home father of two admits he’s like most Americans—hardly a candidate for Environmentalist of the Year.
But these qualities make him the perfect, unbiased and down-to-earth guide through the natural burial process. From a vivid observation of conventional embalming to hand digging a grave in one of the scores of “natural burial preserves” suddenly popping up all across America, Butz offers a witty and detailed account of his adventure into the current trend of green burials.
Going Out Green gives a sensitive, entertaining and honest account of the twists and turns one may encounter when planning a natural burial. Weighing in on the emotional and biodegradable benefits of being buried in a blanket, shroud, or hand-made coffin crafted from locally grown timber… trying to convince your spouse and immediate family that a green burial makes good sense… Butz plans his own natural burial and in the process instructs the reader how they might one day return naturally to the earth.