Green Burials Catch on Amongst the Eco-Friendly Set
It's no longer enough to live an eco-friendly life; now, the greenest of the green are planning for their own eco-friendly deaths. A small but growing number of people are seeking out burial in green cemeteries. Ramsey Creek Preserve in Westminster, S.C., is one such spot, a 35-acre expanse of woodlands where coffins must be biodegradable, embalming fluids are a no-no, plants and flat stones are used as grave markers, and families are encouraged to go hiking and bird-watching. The aim is to keep land in a more natural state and cut down on the use of embalming fluid (hundreds of thousands of gallons of the toxic stuff are used in the U.S. each year). The green-burial trend is particularly hot in Britain, where 180 eco-cemeteries have opened in the past decade. Many environmentally sensitive future corpses also choose cremation, and the more adventurous can have their cremated remains added to an artificial reef.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Julie Dunn, 11 Jan 2004
from the Grist archives: What’s the most eco-friendly thing to do with your body when you die?—astute advice on matters environmental—in Ask Umbra
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