Every year, more people are becoming aware of the impact their daily decisions have on the world around them. Many people have found that natural burial is more compassionate for their families and the earth.

With a green or natural burial, the body is buried in an eco-friendly casket or shroud that allows the body to return to the earth in a natural setting. No embalming fluids are needed, so the body can safely become part of the natural environment.

Current commercial burial practices typically involve transporting a loved one’s body to a mortuary, replacing the blood with embalming fluid, purchasing an elaborate and expensive metal or hardwood casket. This is followed by interment in a thick metal and concrete vault. Many people apparently believe these practices will preserve the body, but they actually only serve to delay its decomposition.

Green Burial substitutes a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health, and the restoration and/or preservation of habitat.  For a beautiful natural of a natural burial site (located in the UK, where the green burial movement began), see  Clandon Wood natural burial site.  Not anything like a “cemetery” as you typically think of one, it is a final resting place for our loved ones that is primarily a nature reserve. The grounds are managed to benefit local wildlife and natural vegetation. A combination of meadowland and a restored forest of trees blend into a landscape preserving and enhancing native biodiversity.This page offers more information and resources on this important topic.