Natural burial
Natural burial, also known as green burial, is an eco-friendly interment practice that involves burying unembalmed human remains using biodegradable materials. This method is gaining traction in industrialized nations as a sustainable alternative to traditional funeral practices, which are often seen as environmentally wasteful. In a natural burial, bodies are typically prepared without chemical embalming, and interment materials, such as wooden or wicker caskets, are designed to decay naturally. Family members may participate in the preparation of the body, providing a personal touch that fosters connection and facilitates the grieving process.
Unlike conventional cemeteries, which often feature manicured lawns, natural burial grounds emphasize a return to nature, resembling meadows with wildflowers and wildlife habitats. The practice not only minimizes the use of toxic chemicals but also promotes a realistic understanding of death, as advocates argue that it reflects the natural cycle of life. While natural burial practices are still relatively rare, their popularity is on the rise, and some regions, like Washington State, have even legalized innovative alternatives such as "human composting." Overall, natural burial is viewed as a meaningful and respectful way to honor the deceased while caring for the environment.
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Natural burial
DEFINITION: Interment of unembalmed human remains using only materials that, along with the body, will decay naturally
Advocates of the practice of natural burial assert that it offers an alternative to the environmentally wasteful commercial funeral practices common in industrialized nations.
Natural burial (also known as green burial) is a relatively new funeral practice in industrialized nations, such as the United States and Canada, but it is actually a return to traditional methods of interring the dead. In a natural burial, the deceased person is not chemically embalmed, the materials used for interment (such as caskets made from wood, wicker, or paper) are biodegradable, and interment takes place in a cemetery where the burial site may be left unmarked and the vegetation managed as wildlife habitat. Cemeteries devoted to natural burials thus resemble natural meadows with wildflowers, in contrast to the typical turf grass of conventional cemeteries.
Advocates for natural burial emphasize that the practice both promotes a more realistic understanding of death and is better for the environment than most commercial funeral practices. Because the body is not embalmed, funeral home workers are exposed to fewer toxic chemicals, and no artificial chemicals are released into the soil as the body inevitably decays. Some advocates have described natural burial as their last act of recycling. Caskets used for natural burials are made from materials that will rot with the body, such as wood or paper. In some cases, no casket is used at all; the body is simply wrapped in a shroud made of natural fibers and placed directly into the grave.
Proponents of natural burial note that the practice encourages friends and family members of the deceased to prepare the body for interment rather than rely on a commercial funeral home. The body is generally bathed, wrapped in a shroud or dressed in clothing made from fibers that will biodegrade (such as cotton or linen), and then placed in a casket for the funeral service. Advocates of the practice assert that preparing the body in this way offers friends and relatives the opportunity to perform one last, loving service for their loved one; the funeral preparation becomes both a celebration of the decedent’s life and a part of the grieving process.
Until the twentieth century, most people in the United States experienced death and funeral practices as intimate events taking place primarily in the home. Bodies were not embalmed, and they were buried in wooden caskets placed directly into the ground. There was a general understanding that when a person died, the body would decay, just as do the remains of all once-living things. Over time, however, concerns about sanitation and disease control arose, along with political lobbying by morticians and others in the funeral industry for laws that would discourage home funerals. These developments led to the increasing commercialization and depersonalization of funeral practices. Embalming, for example, was first promoted as a way to control disease; only later did the emphasis on the unnatural preservation of the body become a selling point.
US state and local laws vary widely regarding natural burial, as do individual cemetery regulations. For example, many conventional cemeteries require the use of a concrete vault, which is sometimes referred to as a grave liner, to hold the casket, making a true natural burial impossible. Cemeteries devoted to natural burial remain relatively rare, although their numbers have increased since the late twentieth century. In 2019, the state of Washington became the first US state to legalize what is known as "human composting," or turning human remains into soil using microbial activity breakdown via natural materials such as wood chips and straw.
Some advocates of natural burial consider cremation followed by the scattering of the ashes to be a form of the practice. Critics of cremation point out that it is energy-intensive and thus not as carbon-neutral as interment in a natural burial cemetery, although it is less harmful to the environment than conventional interment with embalming, metal casket, and grave liner.
Bibliography
Butz, Bob. Going Out Green: One Man’s Adventure Planning His Natural Burial. Spirituality & Health Books, 2009.
Clayden, Andy. Natural Burial: Landscape, Practice, Experience. Routledge, 2015.
Davies, Douglas J., and Hannah Rumble. Natural Burial: Traditional-Secular Spiritualities and Funeral Innovation. Continuum, 2012.
Harris, Mark. Grave Matters: A Journey through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2007.
Karimi, Faith, and Amir Vera. "Washington Becomes the First State to Legalize Composting of Humans." CNN, 22 May 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/05/22/us/washington-human-composting-legal-trnd/index.html. Accessed 22 July 2024.
Vatomsky, Sonya. "Thinking About Having a Green Funeral? Here's What to Expect." The New York Times, 22 Mar. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/smarter-living/green-funeral-burial-environment.html. Accessed 22 July 2024.