The green burial movement seeks to change that through a more ecological, intentional, and community-minded approach to death and dying. Here’s what green burial scholars and practitioners have to say about the method’s benefits, logistics, and potential to redefine death care. This burial alternative has a lower environmental impact, and it allows the body to quite literally return to the earth. It also tends to be more affordable than conventional burials. Green burials are becoming increasingly popular across the U.S. According to a 2022 report by the National Funeral Directors Association, 60.5% of those polled would be interested in exploring a green funeral; up from 55.7% in 2021. And over the past two years, Edward Bixby, the president of The Green Burial Council (GBC), which advocates for environmentally sustainable death care, says he’s noticed the surge of interest in green burials firsthand. The COVID pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis have forced us to reckon with the inevitability of death and the value of a purpose-driven life. During such a fraught time, it makes sense that people are putting more thought into the impact of the last decision they’ll make on Earth. Funeral homes and providers are quickly responding to the increased demand, and the GBC saw a 21% increase in green burial cemeteries in the U.S. and Canada in 2021. Green burials forgo these emissions and in some cases allow bodies to actually restore and regenerate the land around them. “What it allows beyond conservation is a real reckoning with death, and an engagement of the family and friends that is still feeding me all these years later,” McDuff tells mbg. Though every green burial facility is a little different, many of them try to actively involve family members in each ceremony—be it by allowing them to keep their loved one at home for a day or two following their passing, or by letting them bury the deceased in a favorite natural garment. “It gives people the power of not having to turn over an intimate and very sacred, meaningful act,” says Viddal. “We find that when families embrace that possibility, they are able to experience the sparks of acceptance, surrender, and healing.” The easiest way to find a green burial provider in your area is to check the interactive maps on the Green Burial Council’s website. These will show you the nearly 400 hybrid, natural, and conservation burial sites that have been certified by their certification program. And just because you don’t see a provider near you, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. A cemetery that doesn’t advertise that it offers green burial may still allow you to do a burial without embalming or a vault, so it’s worth asking about. As green burial techniques gain more attention, Bixby estimates that most people in the U.S. will be able to find a site that will accommodate a natural burial within 100 miles. Once you find a cemetery or funeral provider, you can work with them to find a biodegradable casket or burial shroud. They may have options that they offer or allow you to provide your own. The Green Burial Council also certifies a number of biodegradable funeral products, from pure wood caskets to cotton shrouds. Depending on which state you live in, you can also explore other approaches to holistic, sustainable death care like water cremation and human composting. (More details on those below.) And it’s never too early to think about what you’d like your own end-of-life care to look like, too. Nonprofits like End Well and Death Over Dinner provide helpful resources for starting conversations about death that are meaningful and ultimately life-affirming. “We’re in a world where life has to involve talking about death and dying,” says McDuff. “The more we talk about it, the easier it is for the people who are living to manage and handle and engage with death.” Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,000 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes. She’s spoken about the intersection of self-care and sustainability on podcasts and live events alongside environmental thought leaders like Marci Zaroff, Gay Browne, and Summer Rayne Oakes.
