Have you considered a green burial?
Green Burial is a natural way of caring for the dead with dignity and minimal impact on the environment. The body is not embalmed or sealed in concrete vaults or grave liners. Biodegradable caskets or shrouds are used. The land does not require use of any chemicals.
Green Burial conserves resources, reduces carbon emissions, protects workers’ health, and preserves or restores natural habitats.
Instead of one’s final act being an addition to global warming, natural burial returns earthly remains to the earth and the ongoing cycle of life.
(info from Green Burial Assn of MD https://greenburialmaryland.org/)
Green Burial
- Caring for our dead with dignity with minimal environmental impact
- No chemicals, concrete vaults, or expensive hardwoods or metal caskets
- No CO2 emissions, heavy metals or toxic compounds put in the air, as can happen with cremation
- Cemeteries conserve resources, preserve natural habitats, don’t use chemicals
- 2 certified green burial cemeteries in Maryland and many hybrid cemeteries to choose from
Other practical information
- Green burial Cemeteries in Maryland
- Green Burial Association of Maryland (GBAM) hosts a website with detailed information about practical issues such as home funerals and transporting the deceased. It also addresses questions like “Do I need to use a funeral director?”
- More information
- The Natural Burial Experience video takes a visitor through a typical green burial with photos and helpful information. Lee Webster, October 2022
Environmental effects of other methods of body disposition
Conventional in-ground burials in the United States use approximately
- 4.3 million gallons embalming fluid, 827,060 gallons of which is formaldehyde, methanol, and benzene
- 20 million board feet of hardwoods, including rainforest woods
- 1.6 million tons of concrete
- 17,000 tons of copper and bronze
- 64,500 tons of steel
- Caskets and vaults leaching iron, copper, lead, zinc, and cobal
(info from From Mary Woodsen of Cornell University and Greensprings Natural Preserve in Newfield, New York)
Flame cremation
- requires a huge amount of energy
- emits around 534 pounds of carbon dioxide per cremation
- creates air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, mercury, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter that have serious health implications.
- Leaves cremated ashes that, if not properly disposed of, have the potential to cause damage to the surrounding area because of their extremely high pH with inhibits plant growth.
(info from the Cremation Society of Milwaukee)
For more information, contact UUCC member, Robin Hessey rmhessey@gmail.com