Four Ways "Natural Burial" Facilities Protect The Earth
Posted on: 28 April 2016
If you're considering having a "natural burial" either for yourself or for a deceased loved one, you may wonder what techniques they use to earn the designation of "natural." If you ever visit one of these facilities, which may refer to themselves as "preserves," you may discover that it looks and feels more like a wildlife park than a cemetery. Since the idea of a gentle, dignified return to nature is what these cemeteries promote and work towards, a less controlled and more organic feel is a sign that they're doing something right. But they actually have several important tactics that they use to diminish the impact of each burial. Here are four ways they do this.
1. Conserving non-renewable resources
Since the Earth's resources are finite, using up the ones that can't be replaced is not a sustainable habit. So natural burial facilities encourage using no non-renewable resources during each burial. This means giving up or replacing items such as:
- Concrete grave liners
- Metal coffins or caskets
- Synthetic fabrics
Biodegradable caskets are often used, and clothes that are buried with the deceased are generally natural, biodegradable materials, rather than synthetics.
2. Fostering wildlife
Preserves and memorial parks that focus on every aspect of providing a natural burial experience may allow the area to regress to a natural state, which could mean that it becomes a woodland, a natural habitat for wildlife. This is an encouraging development in today's world, where wildlife-friendly areas are decreasing rapidly around the world.
3. Encouraging the natural process of biodegradation
By forgoing embalming, which prevents biodegrading, and minimizing the number of layers between the remains and the surrounding soil, a natural burial can allow the forces of nature to work. This means that if you choose a natural burial, your remains will not simply sit underground for years becoming more and more mummified before decomposing, but will instead become one with the Earth at a more natural rate of speed and provide nutrients to the surrounding vegetation.
4. Reducing chemicals used
Not only do natural burials help to reduce the amount of embalming fluid buried each year, but they also reduce the amount of chemically treated wood used in coffins. Untreated wood is chemical-free and works just as well, as long as you don't mind faster biodegrading.
These four examples show how green burials, and especially preserves that focus on returning the land to nature, can improve the effect burials have on the Earth.
For more information on your burial options, contact a funeral home like W J Smith & Son Funeral Home.
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