Is an eco-friendly or green funeral right for you?

As we become more aware of the effects of our actions on the environment, many people are taking to lessen their carbon footprint by making more sustainable choices throughout their lifetime. For many, this includes choosing an environmentally friendly funeral. Understandably, the effects of traditional cremations and burials on the environment may typically come as an afterthought, but with more people opting to live eco-conscious lifestyles it’s important to consider alternative options that are better suited to accommodate sustainability. In fact, a recent study by the NAFD shows that 40% of adults over the age of 50 would like to be buried or have their ashes scattered away from traditional cemeteries, while 32% of that figure would like an eco-friendly service. As such, green funerals make a suitable alternative for many.

Join us as we discuss green funerals, giving you an overview of what happens at these services and why more people are opting for this choice.

What is a green funeral?

Green funerals typically refer to natural burials, as this is considered to be the most eco-friendly option. This type of service can be undertaken in a memorial cemetery, a woodland burial site, or on private land if permitted. That being said, green funerals can also refer to any type of service that can be considered low impact, such as sea burials, Tibetan sky burials, and in some cases direct cremation. For clarity, we agree with the general consensus of green funerals referring to the natural burial process and as such we will continue to talk about this option specifically in this blog. 

It is important to note that fundamentally, the preparation process of a green burial is different to those seen in traditional services. Firstly, the body must be placed in an eco-friendly coffin or simply wrapped in a shroud which can be reclaimed back into nature. In addition to this, the body must not be embalmed as this process uses harmful chemicals, this means that you may need to act quickly to organise your service and inter the body before too much time has passed. 

Finally, natural burials do not permit the use of a memorial headstone or marker that can’t biodegrade. Some sites will allow you to plant a tree and place a bronze plaque, but more often than not these burials do not utilise a marker at all. Any trees that are planted are often placed in a copse rather than directly over the grave due to environmental reasons such as ground settlement making the tree susceptible to falling or roots making the ground inaccessible for future burials. This is an important factor to consider if you feel that you will need more permanence or a place to visit your loved one. 

If you’re interested to learn more about the impacts of traditional cremations and burials, as well as discovering alternative options to natural burials, we invite you to read our blog ‘is it better to be cremated or buried?’ which gives more detailed information on these topics.

What happens at a green funeral?

Whilst green funerals can be somewhat tailored to your personal needs, it is important to know that they are more closely aligned with humanistic values rather than religious ones. This is because natural burial sites are not consecrated ground, and are not purposely located near religious institutions. Green funeral services do not typically include hymns or scripture readings, though they can often accommodate family members who’d like to say prayers or offer religious texts in their readings. Many sites will also allow a temporary or biodegradable religious marker such as a wooden cross to be placed instead of a headstone if you wish to incorporate elements of your loved one’s belief system into the service. 

With that being said, natural burials are not exclusive to the non-religious and there are other ways to try and blend together the two worlds of traditional and modern if you wish. For example, you can often ask for a religious figure to consecrate the individual plot. Your local funeral director will be able to talk you through the options available to you and advise on whether your needs can be accommodated.

There is no typical agenda for a green funeral, as this entirely depends on the needs and wishes of the family. But you can generally expect the body to be interred into shallow ground, without the use of hymns or songs being played. Some family members will share memories at this point, before placing the temporary marker, and others will choose to take a memory walk or attend an outdoor wake held on-site. As long as you follow the guidelines for choosing eco-friendly materials, you will have flexibility on what you can and cannot do at the service.

What is the cost of a green funeral?

Green funerals can be a cheaper alternative to traditional methods of service. This is because the materials and procession rites are simplified to reduce impact on the environment. Ultimately this means that you can save costs on caskets or burial shrouds, flowers, transport, and venue hire. 

The biggest factor that will contribute to costs is the plot, and this is dependent on where you live and the interment fees of the site, but your local funeral director will be able to advise on these costs. On the lower end of the scale, green burials can cost just a few hundred pounds altogether but this number can reach into the thousands depending on your location and personal requirements. 

What are the benefits of choosing an environmentally friendly funeral?

Green funerals are not only a great choice for those who lived true to their values and committed to a sustainable lifestyle, but they also present a number of benefits to local flora and fauna. A natural decomposition helps return the body to the earth, providing essential nutrients for flowers to grow which is something that many families find comforting during this sad time. 

When looking at the bigger picture, natural burial sites support biodiversity in many ways, nourishing natural wildlife and providing more for nature than a traditional well-kept cemetery can. Many also find this type of burial more uplifting as they act as more of a celebration of life rather than an acknowledgement of death, with plenty of time to reflect and remember the positive aspects of the life of the departed. Additionally, after a natural burial some people may find being in a woodland a more uplifting experience than a traditional cemetery because they’re surrounded by natural wildlife and flowers rather than headstones. As such, the feeling of being on a natural burial site is a vastly different experience to being in a cemetery, and evokes feelings of peacefulness and natural balance.

Locate your nearest natural burial site and plan an eco-friendly funeral with Heart of England

At Heart of England, we act with compassion and dignity to ensure that you can get the perfect send-off for yourself or your loved one. If you’d like to discuss eco-friendly options, contact us today and a member of our team will be happy to assist you in any way that we can. We’ll be able to help you find a local natural burial site, as well as help you choose eco-friendly alternatives to caskets, transport, and memorial arrangements.