What is a green funeral? A green funeral is one that honors the environment as well as the dead. According to the Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve in the state of Virginia, each year in the United States we bury:

• 827,060 gallons of embalming fluid
• 90,272 tons of steel caskets
• 2,700 tons of copper and bronze caskets
• 1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete for vaults
• 14,000 tons of steel for vaults
• 30 million board feet of hardwoods (including much tropical wood) for caskets

On a per-acre basis, with an average of 2,000 bodies per acre, we bury yearly:

• 97.5 tons of steel caskets
• 2028 tons  of concrete vaults
• 56,250 bd/ft. of hardwoods

At a time when many people are concerned about our environment and at a time when some people question the materialistic direction that some funerals take, it is nice to know that there are options.

In the past, cremation seemed like the most logical option for those who wanted to return to simplicity. Today, wooded tracts of land have been purchased where families can bury their dead with dignity and sensitivity in a natural setting using environmentally friendly methods. Some "nature preserves" have a separate cemetery with an adjoining "memorial park." Some have just the "nature preserve" and the entire tract is considered and held as a "memorial park." Embalming, vaults and other items that can be destructive to the environment are not allowed.

There are currently not a large number of these memorial nature preserves. However, as more individuals make the choice to be "green," more will become available.

This article is courtesy of the Full Circle of Care Caregiver website, www.fullcirclecare.org/index.shtml. Check the website for resources in your area.