Natural (Green) Burial

- gathering Earth’s inhabitants -

Dear Human,

I ask you to bring your attention to the final arc of your life, and a singular act that will work to restore our environment one human life at a time.

Caring for the dead while healing the land are two key components in developing a natural burial ground. The delicate dance of human decomposition is a process that protects and/or restores (damaged) land.

Natural burials are a one-time event that become part of the sustainability picture of the land where they occur. Evidence supports that natural (conservation) burials by far have the smallest carbon footprint and are significant carbon sinks.

Chiefly defined by what natural burial does (save land) but even more notably for what it does NOT do, a green burial does not use excess natural resources. It does not create excessive greenhouse gas emissions. It also does not require multiple phases, personnel, and facilities in the supply chain. Our bodies are brought to the burial ground where graves have been minimally dug, the body placed, and the grave closed in a way that allows soils and plants to be regrown as efficiently as possible. Anything beyond that is a boutique service that is likely to separate those who have access to it, and those who don’t, those who can afford it, and those who can’t. By contrast, one of the goals of (community) natural burial is to make these spaces accessible and affordable in an act of environmental justice for the benefit of all human, animal, and plant communities.

For more information follow the links below. Natural (Green) Burial in BC Green Burial Society of Canada  Green Burial Council