What Is a Green Burial, and Should You Consider One?

Society is increasingly turning to an eco-conscious lifestyle. After all, it keeps the environment clean, saves costs and provides a healthier option for daily routines. This has opened up avenues for researching and developing more sustainable funeral methods.

More than just a fad, green burials are fast becoming a standard matching the uptake and rate of conventional burial and cremation processes.

What is A Green Burial?

Green burial is the umbrella term for eco-friendly funerals. Burial or cremation is a detrimental practice to the environment. U.S. cemeteries use about 64,000 tons of steel, 1.6 million tons of concrete and upwards of 4 million gallons of embalming fluid annually. Naturally, the sheer amount of non-renewable materials used, like steel and concrete, will significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to driving a car for 500 miles. 

This year, burials are projected to be 33.2% of all funerals. Cremations are expected to take up 61.9% and are projected to account for 82.1% by 2045. This necessitates the need for alternative funeral methods, ones that are eco-conscious, sustainable and less damaging to the environment. 

There are many types of green funerals. Among them are: 

• Natural burial: This involves burying the remains of a person in the ground without the embalming process. Using biodegradable caskets, shrouds or carriers, the human remains decomposed naturally under the ground over time.
• Water cremation:  This method uses alkaline hydrolysis to dissolve human remains using 95% water and 5% alkaline chemicals. It breaks down soft tissues in a matter of hours. It creates a liquid mix of salts, sugars and amino acids — the bones are ground separately. This method is energy and resource-efficient as it uses less water and electricity and its GHG emission is also insignificant. 
• Human composting: This method involves putting human remains in steel with water, heat and microbes to speed up decomposition. The process produces one cubic yard of nutrient-rich compost and takes a few weeks to complete. 

Choosing the right one has many elements, including financial abilities, values, beliefs and philosophical thoughts. 

Conventional Funeral Versus Green Burial Cost

A conventional funeral consisting of viewing and burial cost about $8,300 last year, while one with cremation cost about $6,280. These recorded increases of 5.8% and 8.1%, respectively, compared to the previous two years. Despite being a traditional approach, a conventional funeral is costly and this price continues to increase. 

A viewing and burial funeral is about 10.3% and a cremation funeral is about 7.8% of the U.S. real median annual income, which was $80,610 last year. This would prove to be a financial burden for many families whose loved ones did not plan or save for their funeral expenses. 

Unfortunately, people who do not plan their funerals make up about 75% of the nation’s population, further proving that conventional funerals can cause financial setbacks to many Americans. 

In comparison, green burials cost about $1,000 to $5,000, including the grave and funeral expenses, cost about $1,000 to $5,000. Water cremations could cost about $1,000 to $3,000 and human composting costs about $5,000 to $7,000. These options are cheaper than traditional methods, making them financially viable and affordable to average Americans. 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Green Burial

Going green in funerals has its own cost breakdown, advantages and disadvantages. The pros include:

• Uses lesser resources: Green burials do not use materials like wood, concrete, steel or embalming fluid. This also reduces the use of exotic wood for coffins.
• Reduced damage to the ecosystem: Cremation contributes to significant GHG emissions. Manny cemeteries use fertilizers and pesticides to maintain the area, which can also release toxic gas and harm animals. Green burials do not use harmful chemicals and are energy-efficient. 
• Cheaper: As mentioned before, green burial options are more affordable than conventional ones. 

Despite these benefits, green burials also have their disadvantages. Among them are:

• Less personalized: Green burials eliminate many aspects of a traditional funeral, including grave markers. While this is cost- and environmentally efficient, many may think it is not sentimental or personalized. However, green burials also have options to mark a burial point, including tracking devices or planting a tree. 
• Technical concerns: Green burial does not use embalming techniques, so the human remains decompose faster. This means the family would have to throw a quick funeral, which could deter their grieving process. In addition, the lack of embalming limits the transport of the human remains to a final resting place.
• Religious hurdles: Many religions have their own procedures and beliefs, so many people may be met with resistance and reluctance by their loved ones to have a green burial. 

Should One Consider Green Burial?

For many, the cost and environmental benefits are some attractive features of green burials and the reasons they decided to go green for their final journey. In 2021, 55% of people preferred green burials due to their sustainability and affordability. This acceptance rate increased to 68% this year. 

In addition, the philosophical element of returning to the Earth is also a reason for people to choose green burials. The idea behind this is that they become one with nature and give back to the planet that nurtured them since birth. 

Choosing a green burial depends on many factors. Green funerals may be the next natural step if a person has lived an eco-conscious life. However, selecting sustainable methods for cremation or burial is insignificant if the person did not have an environmental awareness during their lifetime. That said, if a person is keen to opt for one of the sustainable methods, they should know the steps to planning their green funeral to ensure a well-organized system. 

How to Preplan for a Green Funeral

Pre-planning your funeral may be an emotional and daunting task, especially at a younger age, but it also allows a person to address the inevitable on their own terms. Here are some essential steps to follow to preplan a green funeral:

1. Create a will: Ensure the will has one’s wishes and preferences clearly laid out.
2. Start saving: Contribute monthly to a separate fund to ensure sufficient financial cushion when the time comes.
3. Inform family members: Family members must know about the funeral wishes. If needed, prepare a separate document detailing every piece of information.

Completing these steps means one can rest easy, knowing their funeral in the far future will be smooth without burdening loved ones.

Green Burials Help to Sustainably Celebrate A Lifetime

Green burial provides an option for people to contribute less to climate change, even in death. It allows people to take a responsible step toward an eco-friendly farewell to loved ones by prioritizing the economic, environmental and philosophical implications of their final journey.