Types of Green Burial
Green or natural burial is for people who are looking for a more environmentally-friendly type of burial, rather than a grave with a traditional headstone
Green burial necessitates the use of non-toxic and biodegradable materials, such as the caskets, shrouds, and urns. It involves the interment in a manner that does not inhibit decomposition but allows the body to recycle naturally. It is an alternative to other contemporary Western burial methods and funerary customs.
Natural burial is available to everyone, irrespective of faith or religion. There is no need to follow traditional funeral patterns or religious ceremonies. The irrepressible Pam Ayres had her own ideas.
WOODLAND BURIAL by Pam Ayres.
Don’t lay me down in some gloomy churchyard shaded by a wall
Where the dust of ancient bones has spread dryness overall.
Lay me in some leafy loam where sheltered from the cold
Little seeds investigate and tender leaves unfold.
There kindly and affectionately plant a native tree
To grow resplendent before God and hold some part of me.
The roots will not disturb me as they wend their peaceful way
To build the fine and bountiful, from closure and decay.
To seek their small requirements so that when their work is done
I’ll be tall and standing strongly in the beauty of the Sun.
Some local cemeteries and specialised woodland areas provide this service to find out more contact your local council or click on the links below
For another alternative Green Burial
Burial Pods
You could turn yourself into a tree with these eco-pods
The Capsula Mundi project ran by Italian designers Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel is an alternate way to be buried. They created “seeds” or burial pods that will hold a deceased for burial. The body is in the fetal position within the “seed” and then is buried. A tree is planted over the “seed” and will gather nutrients from it and grow.
The best thing about these types of burials is that your loved ones can visit a field of trees instead of a dreary cemetery.