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Health See other Health Articles Title: Green Burial: Is a Natural Burial Right for You? (And Is It Even Legal?) Green Burial: Is a Natural Burial Right for You? (And Is It Even Legal?) American culture is so sanitized. Think about it … alcohol-based hand disinfectants at every corner of the grocery store, chlorinated water, antibiotics in the food supply, bleached laundry and kitchen floors. No wonder we are so sick! But this hyper-sanitized state doesn’t end there. It’s even infiltrating down to death. Today, modern care for the dead generally involves whisking the body away for a formaldehyde-based embalming and high-impact burial. While the Civil War was a major turning point that triggered widespread embalming, the truth is we were already headed in that direction around the turn of the 19th Century, thanks to “sanitation” reforms sweeping the globe. Suzanne Kelly, author of “Greening Death,” says this time period marks the beginning of the “war on filth,” corpse style. Deadly outbreaks of measles, yellow fever and cholera were largely misunderstood at the time, and people thought “miasmatic vapors,” the foul smell spewing in from garbage and human corpses, spread disease. (This was before we knew microorganisms, not smells, were the actual culprits.) But fear of the decomposing corpse reached a fever pitch, and cities and towns passed laws banning human burials within their borders. This marked the beginning of sanitizing death. And the beginning of a funeral industry that today rakes in $16 billion annually in the U.S. alone. (1) But we’re starting to see a backlash to these modern-day burial methods as the idea of green burial is gaining momentum in the United States once again. What Is a Green Burial? What is a green burial service? Also known as “natural burial,” the Green Burial Council describes a green burial as something that: (2) Impacts the environment minimally while caring for the dead In other words, it’s returning the body back to the earth in its natural form, where it will ultimately feed microbes in the soil and benefit other forms of life. While this more traditional burial may seem “creepy” to some today, natural burial was common for generations before the Civil War. Hallmark features of today’s green burials include using: No toxic chemicals, including embalming fluid Not all green burial sites are created equally. The Green Burial Council identifies three levels of green burial grounds. As you can see, some are more conservation-minded than others, so do your homework and make sure a potential site matches your wants and needs. (For instance, some are certified to remain a preserve in perpetuity, while others aren’t.) Hybrid. These burial sites are generally conventional cemeteries that offer a “green” section, allowing for the burial of umembalmed bodies in biodegradable caskets or shrouds. The cemetery may still allow the use of pesticides, turf lawn and non-native plants. Natural burial grounds. Only unembalmed bodies are buried at these sites. Toxic chemicals, cement and metal vaults, traditional marble/stone grave markets and caskets made of non-biodegradable materials are banned. These burial sites also implement waste-reducing and energy-conserving guidelines to improve sustainability. Conservation burial sites. This is the gold standard green burial if you’re looking to support land conservation. These burial grounds require an independent conservation group, like a land trust, to oversee the land. This ensures it will remain as a conservation easement or land permanently preserved in its natural state. (3) There are also funeral homes that offer or specialize in home funerals and green burials. Poster Comment: "The Cowboy's Lament" or "The Streets of Laredo" is my theme for a burial ballad. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 1.
#1. To: BTP Holdings (#0)
The Parsis of India used to have vultures come and eat you behind a wall so nobody saw what was happening. Does not sound good.
There are no replies to Comment # 1. End Trace Mode for Comment # 1.
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