Eco-friendly funerals – Be Green When Your Gone!

Eco friendly funerals or having a green burial, may not be the first sustainable idea which pops into your head, but you would be surprised at how much you can do to make a difference! But remember to make a difference before you go! Go green for your children and grandchildren.

Get proper advice
Until recently, the concept of eco-friendly burial was not known to many funeral directors. Even now, for various functional and sentimental reasons, many people still refrain from adopting the idea. Anyhow the industry is becoming aware of the concept, as many people with environmental sentiments desire to depart from the world in such manner that is in keeping with the principles they followed in their lifetime. Here are a few points to ponder:
1. Enquire from you funeral director whether more sustainable options are available, or find out a funeral parlor that adopts eco-friendly procedures.
2. Eco-friendly burial specialists can assist you in finding out green options for the final rest.
3. Go through the books that can show you the way for a green funeral.

Make your intentions known
If you are thinking what will happen to your remains after you’ve gone, then it’s wise to talk about it to your family members or make advance arrangements. Death is often a painful phenomenon and unless specific instructions are given, those left behind may not be able to take the environment into consideration, when making the arrangements. Even if they are ready they may not have an idea about what are the best and most eco-friendly procedures to be adopted.

It’s better to state your wishes by adding a clause in your will, or make a document of funeral wishes in advance, that will specify your eco-friendly funeral requirements. There are many eco friendly facts to support your wishes.

What about cremation?
At first cremation does not appear to be a specifically green thought. The process of burning something is bound to create pollution particularly when toxic materials are present; and this goes against the principle of environmental concern, of returning nutrients to the ecosystem through the decomposition of matter.

In view of these thoughts, modern crematoriums have achieved considerable reduction in emissions. Further, as many cemeteries in the US have certain rules and regulations governing the use of coffins, vaults and other such requisites that utilize considerable space and resources, becoming unified with nature is not as simple as it may appear to be.

In the light of these facts, cremation may after all seem sensible in an eco-friendly point of view. If it happens to be your choice get to know from the crematorium about their steps for reduction of emissions.

An eco-friendly burial
Our remains become part of the food chain in the end. Inappropriately almost all the embodiments of modern burial, such as hardwood coffins, concrete vaults and embalming, are structured to put off the process of decomposition. Although these concepts have become the standards in modern burial, the fact is that anything that makes it possible for an easy return to the Earth will reduce our environmental impact.

Eco Friendly commuting – use a green car when traveling to and from the funeral, and for carrying the coffin.

The main points to consider are:
1. The process of decomposition is delayed by embalming. For those whose tradition does not stipulate embalming as a part of the burial procedure, omitting this step can be considered, and a quick burial in a closed casket can be done.
2. Coffins of jute, cardboard or bamboo, shrouds and biodegradable urns are most suitable for becoming unified with nature as quickly as possible.
3. The Green Burial Council and other associations are taking steps to identify and develop sustainable cremation and burial procedures, locations and businesses.

Create a living monument
It is of utmost importance that mourners should have a place to go to remember their loved relations and friends long after the obsequies are over. Natural or living memorials can be very good eco-friendly alternatives to headstones or mausoleums erected with material quarried from the Earth. The honor of the departed can be effectively carried on by planting a tree or a bush. Online memorials too are catching up in popularity. Visit Land-markings: 12 Journeys through 9/11 Living Memorials to get an idea of the living memorial.

Gifts of charity
The shelf-life of cut flowers is very short. Also cultivation of flowers is a process that draws on resources. It is an already established practice to request for donation in place of flowers; the best way to remember the departed is to foster better status for the living. Giving charity is a wonderful way to honor the sentiments of friends or relatives who have passed away.

A fitting tribute
What we love of a person includes their beliefs and principles. So it is just proper to commemorate the life of a departed environmentalist with a memorial function that mentions about the environment. Not a big lecture, but a joyful remembrance of a well-lived eco-friendly life. With many faiths endorsing the cause of environment protection, it shouldn’t be difficult to find a preacher for your cause.

Make the funeral service eco-friendly
As with any other function, much of the environmental impact is dependent on the various procedures. In case you are not choosing any of the abovementioned options, still you can create a green funeral by adopting the following procedures:
1. Use recycled paper for hymn sheets or programs.
2. Buy flowers from local, organic farmers.
3. Carpooling arrangement can be made for transport.
4. Let the refreshments be local and organic.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 at 4:51 am and is filed under Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.