Natural burial
3566463
225963060
2008-07-16T06:00:21Z
75.154.105.37
/* Embalming */
{{POV|date=December 2007}}
A '''natural burial ground''', also known as a green burial ground or an eco-cemetery, is a [[cemetery]] where the body is returned to the earth to [[decompose]] and [[biogeochemical cycle|recycle]] naturally. It is an environmentally [[sustainable]] alternative to existing [[funeral]] practices.
==Burial==
The body is prepared without chemical [[preservatives]] such as are used in [[embalming]] and is buried in a [[biodegradable]] [[coffin]] or simple [[shroud]].
A natural burial preserve often uses grave markers that do not intrude on the landscape. These natural markers can include [[shrubs]] and [[trees]], or a flat [[Indigenous (ecology)|indigenous]] stone which may be engraved. The burial ground may be designed with centralised memorial structures where visitors can sit within an emerging forest. As in all cemeteries, there are records kept of the exact location of each [[Burial|interment]], often using survey techniques such as [[GIS]].
Planting native trees, shrubs, and flowers on or near the grave establishes a living [[memorial]] and helps form a protected [[wildlife preserve]]. [[Irrigation]] is not used, nor are [[pesticides]] and [[herbicides]] applied.
Cemetery [[legislation]] protects natural burial preserves in [[perpetuity]] from future development while the establishment of a conservation [[easement]] prevents future owners from altering the original intent for these burial grounds. For people who are mindful of the [[cyclical]] nature of life, a natural burial is an alternative to conventional burial methods.
==Embalming==
[[Embalming]]'s secondary purpose is to retard [[decomposition]] and as such it is inconsistent with the objectives of eco-cemetery and most sites will not permit the interment of embalmed bodies.
No state or province in North America requires routine [[embalming]] of bodies. Refrigeration or [[dry ice]] can be substitute for embalming. However this does nothing to restore the appearance of the deceased to a lifelike state for a [[viewing (funeral)|viewing]] and the body will continue to decompose unless completely frozen. Special circumstances such as an extended time between death and burial and transportation of remains on commercial flights, may necessitate embalming.
Formaldehyde, the most common embalming fluid, is biodegradable and even well embalmed bodies will decompose after normal ground (rather than vault) burial, save in exceptional circumstances. However, in recent years a green burial movement has protested the use of formaldehyde, which oxidizes to formic acid, the toxin in bee stings and fire ants, adding what may be considered pollution to the ground as the bodies decay.
==Coffins==
Most traditional caskets are made from chipboard covered in a thin veneer. Handles are usually plastic designed to look like brass. The chipboard requires glue to stick the wood particles together. Some glues that are used, such as those that contain formaldehyde, are seen as environmentally unfriendly. There is concern that such glues will cause pollution when they are burned during cremation or degrading in the ground. However, not all engineered wood products are produced using formaldehyde glues.
More expensive caskets and coffins are often manufactured using exotic and in some cases endangered species of wood and designed to prevent decomposition. While there are generally no restrictions on the type of coffin used, most sites encourage the use of environmentally friendly coffins made from cardboard or wicker. A simple cotton shroud is another option.
==Environmental issues with conventional burial==
Each year, 22,500 cemeteries across the United States bury approximately:
:30 million board feet (70,000 m³) of [[hardwoods]] (caskets)
:90,272 tons of [[steel]] (caskets)
:14,000 tons of steel (vaults)
:2,700 tons of [[copper]] and [[bronze]] (caskets)
:1,636,000 tons of [[reinforced concrete]] (vaults)
:827,060 US gallons (3,130 m³) of [[embalming fluid]], which most commonly includes [[formaldehyde]]. <ref> Embalming fluid chemically changes in the act of preserving the body and is not largely present as a fluid. This figure refers to embalming fluid before it is introduced to the body.</ref>
(Compiled from statistics by Casket and Funeral Association of America, Cremation Association of North America, Doric Inc., The Rainforest Action Network, and Mary Woodsen, Pre-Posthumous Society)
==A history of natural burial by country==
===Canada===
'''Mike Salisbury''' is a leading advocate of the natural burial movement in Canada and the current president of the [http://naturalburial.coop Natural Burial Co-operative] in [[Toronto]]<ref>
{{cite web | title = Natural Burial Co-operative Members | publisher = Natural Burial Co-operative | date= June 2006 | url = http://www.naturalburial.coop/canada/about-natural-burial-cooperative/founding-members/| format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-11-28}}
</ref>. A full member of the [[Ontario Association of Landscape Architects]] and the [[ownership|principal]] of [http://www.earthartist.com Earthartist Landscape Architecture], Salisbury provides planning design and consultation to groups throughout North America involved in establishing new natural burial grounds. <ref>
{{cite web | title = Earthartist - Spiritual Burial Landscapes for a Greener "Beyond" | publisher = Alternative Funeral Monitor | date = | url = http://remblogs.typepad.com/afm_articles/2006/04/earth_artist_sp.html | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-01-20}}
</ref> Featured in the 2005 CBC expose on the Canadian funeral industry ''[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=956314968669163796 "Outside the Box"]'', Salisbury has helped develop natural burial [[standards]] that encourage [[sustainability]] in the death care industry and facilitate [[ecological restoration]] and landscape level [[Conservation ethic|conservation]].<ref>
{{cite web | title = Natural Burial, Outside the Box | publisher = The Content Factory. CBC Radio One | date = | url = http://www.naturalburial.coop/2005/06/22/outside-the-box-video/ | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-12-09}}
</ref>
===United Kingdom===
The first eco-cemetery was created at Carlisle Cemetery in the [[United Kingdom]] in 1993 and was called ''woodland burial''. Since that date over 200 natural burial sites have been created in the UK making it one of the fastest growing environmental movements.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} <!-- this needs rewording and sourced. Although the growth of trees is of primary importance it is essential that the trees are native and not alien to the area. In addition the management of the site ought to be conducive to good environmental practice. For instance, excess mowing would preclude the growth of wildflowers and deny the groundcover necessary for small mammals and other creatures. -->
===United States===
'''Billy Campbell''', a rural [[Physician|doctor]], an [[environmentalist]], and a pioneer in the Green Burial Movement in the [[USA]], opened the first modern "green cemetery" in [[North America]].
In 1998, he and his wife, Kimberley, opened the Ramsey Creek Preserve in upstate [[South Carolina]]. It specializes in burials that eschew [[embalming]], traditional [[coffins]], and [[headstones]] in favor of a simpler, less costly, more natural approach. Graves are hand-dug, and instead of using expensive, finished coffins, the dead are buried in [[shrouds]] or a plain wooden box without a [[vault]] or [[grave liner]].
'''Joe Sehee''' is a leading advocate of the Green Burial Movement in the [[United States]]. Joe is the executive director of the Green Burial Council, a [[non-profit]] organization he founded to encourage [[sustainability]] in the death care industry and to use the burial process as a means of facilitating [[ecological restoration]] and landscape level conservation.
The organization recently established the nation's first certifiable [[standards]] for [[cemeteries]], [[funeral|funeral providers]], and [[cremation|cremations facilities]]. Conventional funeral providers in eight states will now be offering the Green Burial Council approved burial package, providing a way for consumer to identify death care professionals willing to assist them with environmentally conscious end-of-life rituals.
'''Tyler Cassity''' rose to prominence in the death care industry by taking a [[bankrupt]] cemetery in a borderline part of [[Los Angeles]] and turning it into [[Hollywood Forever]], where he had movies projected on the side of [[Rudolph Valentino|Rudolph Valentino’s]] [[mausoleum]], and displayed his “LifeStories,” which are [[A&E Network|A&E]]-style video [[biographies]] of the dead. Tyler Cassity has been involved in several films <ref> {{cite web | title = Tyler Cassity | publisher = The Internet Movie Database | date = | url = http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0144327/ | format = webpage | accessdate = 2008-07-02}} </ref> and has worked as a consultant on HBO's ''[[Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under]]''.
The Fernwood Burial Ground in Marin County's [[Mill Valley]] dates from the 19th century and is adjacent to the [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]]. Tyler Cassity's Forever Enterprises purchased it in 2004. The Fernwood property is 32 acres with most of it set aside for natural burial with no [[tombstones]] or [[caskets]]. Instead, bodies are buried there in ways that aid natural [[decomposition]], and survivors can locate their loved-ones’ burial site with a handheld device that contains a [[GPS]] location finder.
'''Mary Woodsen''' is a trustee and officer (president) of Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve in [[Newfield]], [[New York]].
Mary also a long-time member of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, which protects 8,000 acres (32 km²) in the [[Finger Lakes]] and Southern Rivers regions, the Cayuga chapter of Keeping Track (a national organization working with local groups around the country that document the presence of keystone wildlife species in their areas, the better to inform decisions about local and regional land use), a task force looking at conservation zoning in her township of Danby, the [[Society of Environmental Journalists]], the [[Society of Conservation Biology]], and the [[National Association of Science Writers]].
Greensprings Natural Cemetery was the third natural burial ground to be established in North America.[1] One-hundred acres of rolling hilltop meadows south of Cayuga Lake in New York's Finger Lakes region. Greensprings on Irish Hill is bounded by 4,000 acre (16 km²) Arnot Forest and 4,000 acre (16 km²) Newfield State Forest.
'''Mark Dahlby''' currently serves as executive director of the green burial land trust Trust for Natural Legacies <ref> {{cite web | title = Trust for Natural Legacies | publisher = Trust for Natural Legacies | date= May 2007 | url = http://www.naturallegacies.org | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-05-01}} </ref>. Trust for Natural Legacies is the first green cemetery organization to utilize eco-cemeteries as a conservation tool for traditional non-profit land trusts. Mark is also an attorney focusing on environmental, real estate and estate planning matters in Wisconsin, is the Conservation Chair of the Sierra Club's John Muir Chapter and is a leader in environmental education in the state of Wisconsin. Mark previously worked with Joe Sehee, Mike Salisbury and others in moving forward the development of national standards for green burial practices.
==See also==
*[[Sky burial]]
*[[Promession]]
*[[Islamic burial]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
<!-- these may be of use but are not used in the article
*LA Times, “Crying and Digging” <ref>{{cite web | title = Crying and igging | publisher = LA Times | date = 2005-02-06 | url = http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/magazine/la-tm-altdeath06feb06,0,2549383.story?page=2&coll=la-home-magazine | format = newspaper | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*The New Yorker Magazine, “California Dying” <ref>{{cite web | title = California Dying | publisher = The New Yorker Magazine | date = 2005-08-29 | url = http://www.newyorker.com/online/content/articles/050829on_onlineonly01 | format = magazine | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*The New York Times, “Eco-Friendly Burial Sites Give a Chance to Be Green Forever” <ref>{{cite web | title = Eco-Friendly Burial Sites Give a Chance to Be Green Forever | publisher = The New York Times | date = 2005-07-13 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/13/national/13cemetery.html?ex=1281585600&en=b485533f324627b8&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*Slate Magazine, “Death Not Be Manicured” <ref>{{cite web | title = Death Not Be Manicured | publisher = Slate Magazine | date = 2006-12-27 | url = http://www.slate.com/id/2156192/slideshow/2156291/fs/0//entry/2156297/ | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*Grave Matters, “Natural Burial” <ref>{{cite web | title = Natural Burial | publisher = Grave Matters | date = 2006-11-06 | url = http://grave-matters.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_grave-matters_archive.html | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*Environmental Science, “Going Out Green” <ref>{{cite web | title = Going Out Green | publisher = Environmental Science | date = 2006-12-24 | url = http://learningoasis.org/mrmc/?p=43 | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*AARP Bulletin, “Green Graveyards - A Natural Way to Go” <ref>{{cite web | title = Green Graveyards - A Natural Way to Go | publisher = AARP Bulletin | date = 2004-07-07 | url = http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/yourlife/a2004-06-30-green_graveyards.html | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*AFC News Source, “Green Burial” <ref>{{cite web | title = Green Burial | publisher = AFC News Source | date = 1999-05-19 | url = http://www.acfnewsource.org/environment/green_burial.html | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*The Arizona Republic, “Green Burials - A Simple Return to Earth” <ref>{{cite web | title = Green Burials - A Simple Return to Earth | publisher = The Arizona Republic | date = 2006-08-01 | url = http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0812greenburial0812.html | format = newspaper | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*The Boston Globe, “`Green' burials usher in the ultimate recycling” <ref>{{cite web | title = `Green' burials usher in the ultimate recycling | publisher = The Boston Globe | date = 2006-05-05 | url = http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/07/05/green_burials_usher_in_the_ultimate_recycling/ | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*Society for Conservation Biology, “Last Wishes” <ref>{{cite web | title = Last Wishes | publisher = Society for Conservation Biology | date = 2007-01 | url = http://www.conbio.org/CIP/article81inlas.cfm | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref> *Environmental News Network, “'Green' Burials Growing in Popularity” <ref>{{cite web | title = 'Green' Burials Growing in Popularity | publisher = Environmental News Network | date = 2006-07-01 | url = http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=10793 | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*Forbes.com, “'Green' Burials Growing in Popularity” <ref>{{cite web | title = 'Green' Burials Growing in Popularity | publisher = Forbes.com | date = | url = http://www.forbes.com/technology/ebusiness/feeds/ap/2006/07/01/ap2854274 | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*FCA Biennial Conference 2006, “Being Green - Burial Without the Box” <ref>{{cite web | title = Being Green - Burial Without the Box | publisher = FCA Biennial Conference 2006 | date = 2006-06-05 | url = http://www.funerals.org/biennial06/ | format = national conference | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*Green Burial Council, “Advisory Board” <ref>{{cite web | title = Advisory Board | publisher = Green Burial Council | date = | url = http://www.greenburialcouncil.org/staff_board.php | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*INC.com, “Goodbye and Thank You” <ref>{{cite web | title = Goodbye and Thank You | publisher = INC.com | date = 2006-11-01 | url = http://www.inc.com/magazine/20061101/green50_integrators_pagen_3.html | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Rest in peace the green way” <ref>{{cite web | title = Rest in peace the green way | publisher = Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | date = 2005-07-15 | url = http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=468900 | format = newspaper | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*Spirit of MATT, “Eco Friendly Resting Places for Loved Ones” <ref>{{cite web | title = Eco Friendly Resting Places for Loved Ones | publisher = Spirit of MATT | date = | url = http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/aug2/campbell.htm | format = webpage | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*Seeking Solutions with Suzanne - Comcast, “Green Graveyards” <ref>{{cite web | title = Green Graveyards | publisher = Seeking Solutions with Suzanne - Comcast | date = | url = http://www.suzanne.tv/show.asp?sid=472 | format = television | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*Richmond Times Dispatch, “Green burial: ecology friendly” <ref>{{cite web | title = Green burial: ecology friendly | publisher = Richmond Times Dispatch | date = 2006-04-16 | url = http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137835392701&path=!flair&s=1045855936229 | format = Newspaper | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*MSNBC News Channel 10, “Green Burial” <ref>{{cite web | title = Green Burial | publisher = MSNBC News Channel 10 | date = 2006-05-04 | url = http://www.wsls.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSLS%2FMGArticle%2FIMD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137835458938&path=%21mgnetwork%21diversions | format = television | accessdate = 2007-02-01 }} </ref>
*[http://www.newyorker.com/online/content/articles/050829on_onlineonly01 The New Yorker Online] - California Dying
*[http://www.suzanne.tv/show.asp?sid=472 Seeking Solutions with Suzanne - Comcast Cable Communications] - Green Graveyards
*[http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/yourlife/a2004-06-30-green_graveyards.html AARP Article] - Green Graveyards—A Natural Way to Go
*Bazilchuk, Nancy. 2007. [http://www.conbio.org/CIP/article81inlas.cfm Last Wishes: Green cemeteries fund conservation]. ''Conservation'', 8(1). -->
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==External links==
===Organizations===
*[http://www.naturalburial.coop/ Centre for Natural Burial]. Information and resources supporting the global natural burial movement: a complete listing and description of natural burial cemeteries in North America Europe and the UK and a comprehensive archive of natural burial magazine and newspaper articles dating back to the mid 1990's.
*[http://www.greenburialcouncil.org The Green Burial Council]. Based in the USA, the Council is an independent, [[non-profit]] organization founded to encourage [[ethical]] and [[sustainable]] practices in the death care industry and has established "Green Certified" protocols for cemetery site selection, memorial nature preserve operators, funeral providers and cremation facilities. The Center offers memberships for organizations meeting their stringent environmental standards.
*[http://www.memorialecosystems.com Memorial Ecosystems]. Formed in 1996 by Dr. Billy Campbell, Memorial Ecosystems offers consulting services in conservation Burial Set up and Start up, creating partnerships and joint ventures.
*[http://www.funeralhelp.com/ Funeral Help]. Consumers and industry experts providing information on the funeral process.
*[http://www.funerals.org/ Funeral Consumers Alliance]. Celebrating 40 years of protecting a consumer's right to choose a meaningful, dignified, affordable funeral.
*[http://www.naturaldeath.org.uk/ Association of Natural Burial Grounds]. Based in the United Kingdom, this organization offers advice on "How To Set Up a Natural Burial Grounds" publishes a "Code of Practice" and offers a newsletter for members and several publications for the general public.
*[http://www.earthartist.com Earthartist Landscape Architecture]. Specializes in the design and development of eco-cemeteries.
===Natural burial preserves===
*[http://greencemetery.blogspot.com/ Cedar Brook Burial Ground, US]
*[http://www.ramseycreekpreserve.com Ramsey Creek Nature Preserve]
*[http://www.honeycreekwoodlands.com Honey Creek Woodlands]
*[http://www.naturallegacies.org Trust For Natural Legacies]
*[http://www.prairiewildernesscemetery.org/ Prairie Wilderness Cemetery]
*[http://www.naturalburial.org Greensprings Natural Cemetery]
*[http://www.glendalenaturepreserve.org Glendale Nature Preserve]
*[http://www.naturalburial.ca Natural Burial Co-operative]
*[http://www.olneygreenburialground.co.uk Olney Green Burial Ground, UK]
*[http://www.greenlaneburialfield.co.uk Green Lane Burial Field Powys Wales]
[[Category:Death customs]]
[[Category:Cemeteries]]
[[Category:Conservation projects]]
[[de:Naturbestattung]]
[[ja:自然葬]]