Green Funerals: Protect the Planet and Your Pocketbook
by
Shae Irving, J.D.
A green burial or cremation is easier on the environment and saves money, too.
Burials and cremations can be hard on the environment. Embalming chemicals, metal caskets, concrete burial vaults, and cremation facility emissions take a surprising toll.
It’s not difficult to make funeral arrangements that are easier on the earth. Some green choices are surprisingly simple, like asking that your body not be embalmed and choosing an environmentally-friendly casket or urn. What’s more, many of these options bring an additional benefit that interests almost everyone -- saving money. You may save thousands of dollars for your inheritors by making a few careful choices.
Here are some things you can do:
Choose a green cemetery. The Green Burial Council, a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable after-death practices, has developed a certification process for cemeteries that want to go green. These cemeteries agree to avoid toxins and earth-adverse materials (including metal caskets, concrete burial vaults, and traditional grave markers) and to help to preserve land. You can learn more and locate facilities at www.greenburialcouncil.org.
Say no to embalming. Embalming fluid contains toxic chemicals -- including up to three gallons of formaldehyde -- that can seep into soil and ground water. It’s also hazardous to the funeral industry personnel who have to work with it. Embalming rarely serves a legitimate purpose and is almost never required.
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