It’s likely that you’ve heard of the term green funeral, but aren’t quite sure what that actually means.
The truth is that the burial and funeral service industry has evolved a great deal in recent years to cut back on carbon emissions and natural resource usage, and this industry trend has become incredibly popular among countless individuals and families.
Planning out your inevitable funeral is an incredible way to showcase your love and support for your loved ones, because it’s one final way to say I love you by handling the financial burden associated with your passing. We’ve partnered up with the green funeral springfield ohio experts at Jackson, Lytle & Lewis to answer some of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) that people have about green funerals.
So, if you’re curious about what green funerals are, see if your questions are answered in the below sections:
What exactly is a green funeral?
The entire concept of the green funeral is based upon the idea that funeral services and burials shouldn’t harm the environment, so green funerals are simply funerals that minimize environmental impact.
The general goal of a green funeral is to protect burial service works from harmful chemicals, conserve natural resources, and reduce carbon emissions that are typically associated with traditional funerals.
Because many people believe in being eco-friendly and sustainable throughout their lives, it also makes sense that they want to invest in sustainable funeral services to be better prepared for their eventual passing.
What makes a funeral “green”?
It’s a good idea to receive in-depth details directly from funeral homes when it comes to how they provide green burial options. The vast majority of green funerals focus on a handful of key factors, which include:
- Biodegradable, non-toxic materials for burial containers
- Non-toxic embalming materials
- Not covering caskets with a burial vault or grave liner
- Marking graves with plants, trees, or stones (as opposed to traditional grave markers)
- Conducting funerals in green-certified cemeteries
Are green funerals popular?
Although green funerals still aren’t the most common choice as compared to traditional funerals, the overall interest in green funerals is rapidly increasing. More than half of the American population has stated that they’d be interested in exploring green funeral options, as surveyed by the National Funeral Directors Association back in 2017.
This is why most funeral homes are now certified in green burial services, and countless industry professionals have made all sorts of changes to better accommodate these eco-friendly interests. Although the overall number of green funeral homes is still limited, they’re increasing on a yearly basis.
So, this increased number of green funeral homes is a clear indication that green funerals are slowly but surely becoming more popular all throughout the United States and abroad.
How do cemeteries become “green”?
In order for a cemetery to become green-certified, they must meet all sorts of industry standards that have been established by the Green Burial Council (GBC). The GBC has established that there are three categories of green cemeteries, including:
- Hybrid cemetery: this is a common type of green cemetery, and it offers sections for both traditional and green burials.
- Natural burial grounds: This is cemetery that specifically caters to natural burials, which means they only allow biodegradable burial containers and don’t utilize any harmful chemicals throughout the entire burial process.
- Conservation burial grounds: This is another form of green cemetery that meets the standards of being a natural burial ground, but is also a non-profit or government-run business.
What are the differences between natural, green and home burials?
A lot of people will use these terms interchangeably, but there are some slight differences that you should know about.
Green burials have to take place in green-certified cemeteries, but natural burials can take place in just about any cemetery where grave liners aren’t required. So although both natural and green burials focus primarily on minimizing environmental impacts, avoiding toxic chemicals and implementing biodegradable caskets, the main difference between these funerals is where the services take place.
Home burials can technically fall within both categories, but this will also depend upon where the funeral takes place as well.
Are Cremations Considered To Be Green Funeral Services?
Although cremations help reduce overall land usage, they’re not considered to be “green” in accordance with the Green Burial Council’s established standards.
This is because cremations emit harmful substances into the atmosphere, and they often require fossil-fuel burning. These emissions are why cremations are not as eco-friendly as green funerals.
Contact The Green Funeral Springfield Ohio Experts At Jackson, Lytle & Lewis To Learn More About Green Burials
There’s a lot that families need to consider while preparing for funeral services, and it makes perfect sense if you’re interested in minimizing the ecological impact of your burial services.
Green funerals are emerging as a popular trend throughout the entire industry, and if you have more questions, you can speak directly with the experts at Jackson, Lytle & Lewis by clicking through the hyperlink located at the top of this page.
