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Green Burial in St Catharines
In recent years, green burials
(also referred to as natural burials) have grown in popularity. As environmental concerns become more prevalent, many people are now interested in economically friendly burials and doing what they can to help the environment. Green burial
options do not mean only graveside services, you are still able to have a full traditional funeral
within the parameters of the green burial guidelines
listed below.
Green burials
are viewed as a natural way to care for remains and return them to the Earth. In addition to using less energy and consuming fewer resources, a natural burial is focused on making simple and natural choices. Green burials use caskets made from biodegradable materials or a simple shroud to wrap the body and bury it. There are restrictions of course as nothing but the person being buried and the shroud that is used to wrap their body are the only items permitted to be in the casket.
Many green cemeteries also follow specific guidelines for these types of natural burials. While not necessarily required or followed by all cemeteries, these guidelines often include:
Benefits Of Green Burials
According the
Green Burial Council, it is estimated that more than 60,000 tons of steel and 4.8 million gallons of embalming fluid are used for traditional burials each year. That equates to enough steel to build the Eiffel Tower 8 times and enough embalming fluid to fill 8 Olympic sized swimming pools.
The obvious and most important benefit of an natural burial is the minimal environmental impact. With a traditional burial, caskets and burial vaults are buried within the earth. Embalming fluids and other chemicals are also used to preserve the body. Each of these resources can have negative environmental impacts.
Green burials
also present the opportunity to benefit the community. When traditional cemeteries become full, they leave the land unusable for anything else. A green cemetery is different because everything that is placed in the ground is biodegradable. This presents the opportunity for the cemetery to be transformed into a conservation area, park or community garden.
A final benefit of an natural burial is the financial savings. Because there is no requirement for a burial vault or embalming, these savings can be used to help offset the cost of a funeral service or celebration of life. When there is a green burial there is no option for an individual grave marker/monument/headstone as there's a community marker for all buried in that entire section if utilizing a green section of a cemetery. You are permitted to have a green burial in any cemetery; it's not strictly for green burial sections. The choice is yours as to where you wish to practice this option if it is your desire to minimize the carbon footprint as the time of your services being required.
If you're interested in learning more about green burials, and how we can help you arrange a green burial in St Catharines, please feel free to contact us
at your earliest convenience.