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Featured FAQ: What is a Green Funeral

November 30, 2015

A green funeral involves conducting final arrangements and burial of the deceased in ways that cause minimal environmental impact as well as restore and conserve the environment.

19659853_sThe Green Burial Council, a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 to support and promote green funeral options, says, “Green, or natural burial, is a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health, and the restoration and/or preservation of habitat.”

Going Out Green

A green funeral and burial furthers both environmental and public purposes including, reducing carbon emissions, conserving natural resources, protecting worker health and preserving habitat.

However, choosing to go green does not exclude any of the traditional funeral services, including private or public viewings, graveside burials or even cremation. At Keohane, we offer the full range of funeral services while honoring the choices of our families who choose to be environmentaly-friendly.

“We are privileged to work with families who wish to sustain the environment while honoring their loved one with all the funeral services necessary to put their loved one to rest with dignity and honor and deliver closure for the entire family,” said Co-president Dennis Keohane.

The Green Burial Council proposes “Four Ways to Ensure an Eco-Friendly Burial”:

  • Forgo traditional embalming: Embalming slows the decomposition process and involves the use of formaldehyde, a toxic chemical that is now known to be a health risk for funeral workers exposed to it for prolonged periods. Families who desire a green funeral can opt for refrigeration or dry ice as a means of preserving a body rather than embalming. However, families do not have to forgo a private or public viewing for a green funeral. At Keohane, we offer the option of a public or priviate viewing without embalming or the use of only GBC approved post-mortem fluids.
  • Decline Concrete Vaults: Concrete vaults house caskets in the ground and help to maintain a level soil surface by preventing soil settlement, resulting in the manicured appearance of conventional lawn cemeteries. The production of concrete and its ingredients requires significant energy, resulting in the creation of carbon emissions. Concrete vaults create a barrier between the casket and the earth, slowing the natural decomposition process.
  • Use Non-toxic Burial Containers: Green burial necessitates the use of non-toxic and biodegradable materials. All GBC approved caskets, urns and shrouds must be constructed from plant-derived, recycled plant-derived, natural, animal, or unfired earthen materials, including shell, liner, and adornments.
  • Maintain and Protect Natural Habitat: Some cemeteries adhere to burial practices that restore or conserve plants, landscapes, and native materials, and use no pesticides in maintaining the grounds. They can also limit the types, sizes, and visibility of grave markers to preserve natural vistas. The Green Burial Council identifies three levels of green burial grounds – hybrid burial grounds, natural burial grounds and conservation burial grounds.

Green Certified

The Green Burial Council developed the world’s first set of sustainability standards and the first eco-certification program for funeral homes, burial grounds and burial products, and it has set the standard for green burial in North America.

Keohane Funeral Home is proud to be one of two GBC’s Green-leaf certified funeral homes in Massachusetts. Certification by the Green Burial Council verifies that the green or natural burial services being provided have been thoroughly vetted against stringent standards created by a team of environmentalists, scientists, lawyers, and representatives from the funeral industry.

For more information, the council maintains a list of all GBC certified funeral providers, cemeteries, and disposition products on their website.

Photo credit:  tomas1111/123RF

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