In recent years, the United States has seen the rise of a trend in funerary services known as green burials. A green burial is an alternative to more traditional forms of interment that is focused on laying our loved ones to rest in a way that is not harmful to the environment. It is a natural approach that works towards the conservation of natural resources, a reduction of the use of non-biodegradable or toxic materials, and improved health of funerary workers.
Most Americans today are unaware of how environmentally damaging a traditional burial can be. The bulk of traditional services don’t factor environmental concerns, employ caskets made out of non-biodegradable materials or wood from endangered species of trees, and releases enormous amounts of carbon emissions through their use of concrete vaults. Many products used in traditional embalming practices are known carcinogens, and many stop the decaying process to such a degree that they have a profoundly damaging effect on the soil around burial sites.
Green burials are the natural alternative to these processes.
In these environmentally sustainable interments, the loved one’s body is laid to rest in a casket made exclusively out of biodegradable material and in a plot that has not been modified with cement. Embalming fluids that are based on formaldehyde, the most damaging kinds, are not used, and care is taken to not destroy essential microbial decomposers during the embalming process. Although the burial is carried out in an area with no man-made modifications, markers that do not affect the surrounding area are allowed and a precise record is kept of the location of all grave sites.
Green burials are becoming more and more popular as time goes on, and they are helping to reduce the carbon footprint of a commonplace ritual that is far more environmentally damaging than most would suspect. If you are interested in making arrangements for a green burial for a loved one, contact Bayer Cemetery Brokers and we will help you acquire a plot in a cemetery that will be accommodating to your wishes for an environmentally-sound resting place.