green burials: advantages of, 2–4, 14; author’s experiences, 4–6, 15–17; burials at sea as, 87; celebrity, 34–35; choosing, 31; community involved in, 65–67; components of, 17–19; costs of, 48–51; cremation vs., 131; defined, 14; envisioning, 46–48; funeral home–assisted, 47, 67–69; future prospects, 37–40; historical/cultural precedents for, 3, 6–7, 13, 27–32, 36, 46; home funerals and, 123; instructions for, 45, 48, 53; legality of, 55; modern burial customs vs., 2–4; modern resurgence of, 32–37; personalization of, 115–16; planning ahead for, 7–8, 45; professional assistance for, 8, 15, 19; Tales from the Grave, 31; Tips, 53
green burial sites, 14, 19, 33, 133
green cemeteries, 14, 32–33, 74, 77
green embalming, 102–3
Green Haven Cemetery (Stillwater, OK), 173
Greenhaven Preserve (Eastover, SC), 175
Green Hills Cemetery (Asheville, NC), 172
greenhouse gases, 25, 142
Greening Death (Kelly), 20–21
Greenlawn Memorial Park (Colma, CA), 164
Green Meadow at Fountain Hill (Fountain Hill, PA), 175
Green Meadows at Brooksville Cemetery (Brooksville, FL), 166
Greensprings Natural Cemetery (Newfield, NY), 24, 171
Green Tree Burial Grounds (Mead, OK), 173
greenwashing, 69
Greenwood Cemetery (Milwaukee, WI), 178
grief, 1, 4–5, 43, 45
Griffith, Andy, 34
Gunderman, Richard, 70
Harris, Mark, 23
Hawaii, 167
headstones, 49, 50
hearses, 50
Heart Land Prairie Cemetery (New Cambria, KS), 168
Heartwood Preserve (Trinity, FL), 166
Hebrew Memorial Chapel (Oak Park, MI), 169
helpers, 120, 124–25
hemp, 89
Herland Forest (Wahkiacus, WA), 178
Highland Cemetery (Prairie Village, KS), 168
Hillside Memorial Park (Los Angeles, CA), 164
Hinduism, 36
Historic Congressional Cemetery (Washington, DC), 166
Holy Savior Cemetery (Gibsonia, PA), 175
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery (Rochester, NY), 171
home burial packets, 61–62
home funerals: ceremony planning, 116–20; defined, 14–15; envisioning, 46–48; examples, 120–23; green burials and, 123; historical/cultural precedents for, 3, 46; instructions for, 45, 48, 53; personalization of, 115–16; planning ahead for, 7–8, 45, 129; resurgence of, 115; Tales from the Grave, 45; Tips, 53
Honey Creek Woodlands (Conyers, GA), 166
hospice, 62
Hospice Foundation of America, 160
Houston Chronicle, 82
Hungary, 84
hybrid burial grounds, 75, 76
ice packs, 109, 111–12
Idaho, 133, 167
identification tags, 62
Illinois, 56, 133, 167
Indiana, 56, 167–68
Infinity Burial Suit/Shroud, 99
insects, 129
Integrated Pest Management (IPM), 75
invitations, 119
IOOF Eastwood Cemetery (Medford, OR), 174
Iowa, 56
Irish wakes, 45
Islam, 29
Italy, 38–39
Jarvis, Nadine, 136–37
Joey + Rory (country duo), 34
Joshua Tree Memorial Park (Joshua Tree, CA), 165
Judaism, 28–29
Kansas, 133, 168
Kelly, Suzanne, 20–21
Kessler Woods at Washington Park North Cemetery (Indianapolis, IN), 167
Kokosing Nature Preserve (Gambier, OH), 173
Kübler-Ross, Elisabeth, 1, 43
Larkspur Conservation Preserve (Westmoreland, TN), 176
Laurel Hill Cemetery (Wilton, NH), 170
lawyers, 61
legalities: alkaline hydrolysis, 133; backyard burials, 77–78, 79–80, 123; body transportation, 112; burial (traditional), 124; burial arrangement appointees, 57–59; burials at sea, 87; cemeteries, 125; conservation burial grounds, 75–76; cremains spreading, 133; death certificates, 63; funeral directors, 55–57; home burial packets, 61–62; pre- vs. post-death care, 71; state/local regulations, 7; Tips, 57, 61
Let Your Love Grow, 136
lien holders, 79
life celebrations, 15
Lincoln, Abraham, 21
Lincoln City Catholic Cemetery (Lincoln Center, KS), 168
Lithgow (CT), 34
living trusts, 59, 60
Lootah, Chayton (Hawk-That-Is-Red), 30–31
Louisiana, 56
Maine, 133, 168
Marana Mortuary Cemetery (Marana, AZ), 164
Marble Park Cemetery (Milan, MI), 169
Margiotta, Maria, 28
Maryland, 133, 169
MaryMoon, Pashta, 95
Maryrest Catholic Cemetery (Mahwah, NJ), 171
Massachusetts, 169
Maury Memorial Gardens (Columbia, TN), 176
mausoleum entombments, 102
Maxwell, Steve, 89
McGuinness, Maureen, 28
Meadow Natural Burial Ground, The (Lexington, VA), 177
Meadow Natural Burial Grounds (Ferndale, WA), 86, 178
Meadowvale Cemetery (Brampton, ON, Canada), 179
Meadow / Westwood Hills Memorial Park, The (Placerville, CA), 165
meal trains, 140–41
medical examiners, 63
medications, 109
medicine wheels, 30
Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery (Brattleboro, VT), 177
Melbourne (Australia), 37–38
Memorial Lakeview Cemetery (Bountiful, UT), 177
memorial services, 15; planning ahead for, 44, 52
memories, 105
memory cards, 143
Mental Floss magazine, 81
mercury, 25
methane, 23
Michigan, 56, 169
Milton Fields (Milton, GA), 166
ministers, 117
Minnesota, 133, 169–70
Missouri, 170
mistakes, 125–29
Mitford, Jessica, 22, 24
modern burial customs: costs of, 2, 37, 48–51; cremation as alternative to, 24–26, 37; environmental effects of, 2, 7, 22–24; green burials vs., 2–4, 48–51; green options for, 139–44; history of, 20, 20–22; as insufficient, 1–2; Tales from the Grave, 21, 22; Tips, 26
modern culture, death avoided in, 1, 13–14, 22, 27
Monadnock Quaker Meeting Friends Natural Burial Ground (Jaffrey, NH), 170
Mordecai’s Meadow at Oakwood Cemetery (Raleigh, NC), 172
Morris, Charles, 28
mortgages, 79
mortuary boards, 61
Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery / Katari Meadow Natural Burial Preserve (Schenectady, NY), 28, 171
Mother Nature Network, 80, 91–92
Mound Cemetery of Brooklyn Cemetery (North Brooklyn Center, MN), 169
mounds, 30
Mountain View Cemetery (Ashland, OR), 174
Mountain View Cemetery (Vancouver, BC, Canada), 179
Mountain View Green Cemetery (Leadore, ID), 167
Mount Auburn Cemetery (Cambridge, MA), 169
Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery (Portland, OR), 174
Mount Carmel Cemetery (Wyandotte, MI), 28, 169
Mount Hope Cemetery (Rochester, NY), 171
Mount Muncie Cemetery (Lansing, KS), 168
mourning meals, 140–41
Mt. Pleasant Cemetery Association (Sioux Falls, SD), 176
mummification, 13
music, 52, 105, 107, 118, 121–22
Narrow Ridge Natural Burial Preserve (Washburn, TN), 176
National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, 71, 160
National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), 74, 160
National Home Funeral Alliance (NHFA), 56–57, 71, 112, 115, 161
Native Americans, 29, 30–31, 65
native
species, 26
Natural Burial Company, 99
natural burial grounds, 75
Natural End Map, 161
Natural Path Sanctuary (Verona, WI), 178
Natural Transitions, 161
NBC News, 15
Nebraska, 56–57
Nerdy Gaga (website), 45
Nevada, 170
New England Burials at Sea (MA), 87–88
New Hampshire, 170
New Hampshire Funeral Resources, Education & Advocacy (NHFREA), 163
New Jersey, 57, 171
New Mexico, 171
New Mexico La Puerta Natural Burial Ground (Albuquerque, NM), 171
New York, 57, 171–72
next of kin, 58, 59–61, 116
nitrogen, 25–26
North Belton Cemetery (Belton, TX), 176
North Carolina, 172–73
notary public, 53
Oak Hill Cemetery (Crawfordsville, IN), 167
Oak Hill Cemetery (Eugene, OR), 174
Oak Hill Cemetery (Lawrence, KS), 168
Oakwood Cemetery (Raleigh, NC), 172
Oakwood Cemetery (Sharon, PA), 175
Oakwood Cemetery (Troy, NY), 172
obesity, 109
obituaries, 118
Ohio, 173
Oklahoma, 173
On Grief and Grieving (Kübler-Ross), 43
Ontario (Canada), 179
Oregon, 4, 69–70, 79–80, 123, 133, 174
Oregon Environmental Protection Department, 79
Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery & Prayer Gardens (Georgetown, TX), 177
pain management, 66
Paxtang Cemetery (Harrisburg, PA), 175
Peninsula Township Cemetery (Traverse City, MI), 169
Penn Forest Natural Burial Park (Verona, PA), 175
Pennsylvania, 174–75
People magazine, 34
personalization, 68, 115–16
pesticides, 23, 142
Philippines, 31
photographers, 66
Pine Forest Memorial Gardens (Wake Forest, NC), 173
Pinterest, 117
plants, 26, 74, 87, 142, 143
platforms, raised, 29, 30
Pleasant Grove Memorial Park (Murphysboro, IL), 167
Pleasant Hills Cemetery (Sebastopol, CA), 165
plywood, 93, 127
Poland, 84
Porter Rea Cemetery (North Liberty, IN), 167
Pottsville (TN), 34
power of attorney for health care, 59
Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery (Gainesville, FL), 166
Prairie Green Section of Greenwood Jewish Cemetery (Milwaukee, WI), 178
Prairie Home Cemetery (Waukesha, WI), 179
Prairie Oaks Memorial Eco Gardens (Inver Grove Heights, MN), 170
prayers, 105, 107, 117–18
Preble Memory Gardens Cemetery (West Alexandria, OH), 173
Preserve at All Saints Cemetery, The (Waterford, MI), 169
Preserve at Springvale Cemetery, The (Lafayette, IN), 167
private property, legalities of burial of human remains on, 62, 77–78
professionals, hiring: assessing need for, 65–67; death care consultants, 69–70; end-of-life doulas, 70–71; funeral homes, 67–69; home funeral guides, 71; planning ahead for, 124; Tips, 66
Promessa, 38
protective clothing, 103–4, 106
Purissima Cemetery (Half Moon Bay, CA), 165
“Quick Guide to Legal Requirements for Home Funerals in Your State” (NHFA), 112
rain, 127–28
Rainbow’s End Natural Burial Ground (Orrington, ME), 168
raking, 26
Ramsey Creek Preserve (Westminster, SC), 32–33, 176
readings, 52, 117–18
Recompose, 23, 39
“recomposition,” 39
Red Feather Lakes (CO), 36
Redgrave, Corin, 34
Redgrave, Lynn, 34
reefs, artificial burial, 136
refrigeration, 19, 102
residential burials. See backyard burials
resources, 159–61
Rest Lawn Memorial Park (Junction City, OR), 174
Rhinebeck Cemetery (Rhinebeck, NY), 172
Rhode Island, 175
Richmond Cemetery (Richmond, NH), 170
Ridgeview Memorial Gardens (Grandville, MI), 169
rigor mortis, 104–5
rituals, 118
Riverview Cemetery (Portland, OR), 174
Riverview Memorial Gardens (Cocoa, FL), 166
Roanoke Island (NC), 34
Rose City Cemetery (Portland, OR), 174
Roselawn Cemetery (Fort Collins, CO), 165
Roselawn Memorial Park (Spring-field, IL), 167
Rosendale Cemetery (Tillson, NY), 172
Royal Oak Burial Park (Victoria, BC, Canada), 179
Rubin, Gail, 26
Sacred Endings (Scappoose, OR), 71
safety coffins, 22
safety deposit boxes, legalities involved with opening, 60
Sagada (Philippines), 31
Saluda Rest Preserve (Marietta, SC), 176
sanitation, 103–4
Schade, Tanja, 14
sea: burial at, 87–88, 135–36; cremains scattered at, 26
Seattle (WA), 39
seed cards, 142–43
Sehee, Joe, 24
Selina, Hazel, 99
Seven Ponds, 15, 161
Seven Stones Botanical Garden (Littleton, CO), 165
sextons, church, 80
Shelves for Life, 91–92
shovels, 83–84
shrouds. See burial shrouds/wraps
simplicity, 48, 49
“six feet under” myth, 81
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Sleepy Hollow, NY), 172
Slovakia, 84
social media, 117, 118
South Carolina, 175–76
South Dakota, 176
Spade, Katrina, 23, 39
speeches, 118
spiritual concerns, 47, 66
Spring Grove Cemetery (Cincinnati, OH), 173
Steelmantown Cemetery (Woodbine, NJ), 171
St. Peter’s Cemetery (Saratoga Springs, NY), 172
suicides, 82
summer weather, 128–29
Sunset Lawn Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery (Sacramento, CA), 165
Sunset Memorial Park (Midland City, AL), 164
Sunset Memorial Park and Nature’s Way (Danville, IL), 167
Sunwest Cemetery (El Mirage, AZ), 164
sustainability, 73, 139–44
sustainable art, 136–37
Tales from the Grave: about, 8; backyard burials, 82; body handling, 108; burials at sea, 88; coffins, 91; grave digging, 84; green burials, 31; home funerals, 45; modern burial customs, 21, 22
Tallapoosa County Memorial Gardens (Dadeville, AL), 164
Tamworth Town Cemetery (Tam-worth, NH), 170
Techni-Ice, 111
Tennessee, 176
Texas, 176–77
thank-you notes, 142–43
thermometers, 110
Tibet, 32
Time magazine, 24–25
Tips, 53; about, 8; backyard burials, 80; body washing, 107; burial containers, 98; cremation, 26; food, 141; funeral homes, 51; grave digging, 84; legalities, 57, 61; photographers, 66
Tranquility Oaks Cemetery (Spring, TX), 177
transportation: by air, 102; costs of, 50; funeral home–provided, 67; for home funeral guests, 119; legalities, 112; planning ahead for, 125–27
treasure sharing, 144
tricalcium phosphate, 25
Union Cemetery at Mays Landing (Mays Landing, NJ), 171
United Farm Workers (UFW), 34
United Kingdom, 33
United Nations, 25
United States: annual deaths in, 22–23; body preservation in, 102; cremations in, 24–25, 131; death as viewed in, 22; funeral/burial costs in, 48; green burial grounds in, 163–79; green burial movement in, 32–3
6; home funerals in, 115
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), 132
urns, 134–35, 135, 136
USLegal.com, 58
Utah, 177
Vale Cemetery (Schenectady, NY), 172
Valley Isle Memorial Park Cemetery (Wailuku, HI), 167
Valley Memorial Park & Funeral Home (Hillsboro, OR), 174
vaults: green burials without, 14, 18, 49; green cemeteries not requiring, 74, 75
verbal agreements, 61
Vermont, 177
Vikings, 36
Virginia, 177–78
visitations, 66, 68, 102, 108–9, 119
wakes, 30, 45, 140
Ward, Nancy, 71
Warren, William, 91
Washington (DC), 166
Washington, 177–78
water resomation, 131–33
watersheds, 121
weather, 117, 127–29
Webster, Lee, 71, 115, 163
West, Ken, 32
West Laurel Hill Cemetery (Bala Cynwyd, PA), 175
West View Cemetery (Pittsburgh, PA), 175
White, Brad, 88
White Eagle Memorial Preserve Cemetery (Goldendale, WA), 178
White Haven Memorial Park (Pittsford, NY), 172
White Oak Cemetery (Bloomington, IN), 168
wicker, 89
Wiigh-Mäsak, Susanne, 38
wildlife, 74
Williamsburg Cemetery (Kitchener, OR), 76
willow, 89
wills, 59, 60
Windridge Memorial Park and Nature Cemetery (Cary, IL), 167
Wisconsin, 178
Woodland Memorial Park (Sand Springs, OK), 173
Woodlawn Cemetery (Snohomish, WA), 178
Woodsen, Mary, 23–24
woodworkers, 90–91
Wyoming, 133
Yaxley, Jonny, 84–85
Yonder, Cassandra, 70–71
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Fournier owns and operates Cornerstone Funeral Services in Boring, Oregon, where she is affectionately known as the Green Reaper for her green burial advocacy. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Green Burial Council, the environmental certification organization setting the standard for green burial in North America. She is also the author of The Green Reaper: Memoirs of an Eco-Mortician. She lives on a farm with her husband, daughter, and many rescue goats and sheep.
You can connect with Elizabeth here:
www.elizabethfournier.com and
www.cornerstonefuneral.com
Facebook: greenburialportland
Twitter: @elizfournier
Instagram: elizabethgreenreaper
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The Green Burial Guidebook Page 15