AliciaLinGreenFunerals

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**How to make greener decisions when planning a funeral**
Normally, the dead simply return back to the earth; however, traditional burial and cremation practices hinder this natural cycle of life. Death is a difficult subject, but people can still keep ethical and environmental beliefs by giving a meaningful send-off that has a lower impact to the environment.

Traditional practices serve to pay tribute to our loved ones, but they also use a lot of resources and land.

Embalming is a practice that temporarily preserves human remains to make them suitable for public displays at a funeral. Unfortunately, embalming fluid contains formaldehyde, arsenic, methanol, ethanol, and other chemicals that can leach into the soil and groundwater. [[|1]] Embalming was not popular until the Civil War, when dead soldiers were preserved so they can be sent back to their families. [[|4]] Embalming became more popular and commodified as the funeral profession emerged around 1870s. [5] As many as 2.3 million people in the U.S. in 1999 underwent this procedure. [[|4]] Additionally, embalming fluid, which normally consists of formaldehyde, can pose health risks to embalmers and workers at funeral homes. A study by the National Cancer Institute released in late 2009 revealed that funeral directors have a much higher incidence of myeloid leukemia. [[|3]] In general, embalming has become a staple in the American culture, and is done routinely done by funeral firms “without asking.” [5]
 * This is What We’re Burying Each Year in the U.S.**
 * **30 million** board feet of wood [[|1]]
 * **1.6 million tons** of concrete [[|2]]
 * **800,000 gallons** of embalming fluid [[|1]]
 * **104,000 tons** of steel [[|1]]
 * **2.2 million acres** of land were lost to development of cemeteries from 1997 to 2001 [[|3]]
 * Embalming**

Concrete and metal require a vast amount of energy to process and produce, and release a tremendous amount of carbon emissions. Each vault requires 1.6 tons of concrete [[|3]], and for every ton of concrete and steel, approximately a ton of carbon is emitted. [[|1]] In general, caskets and vaults can leach varnishes, preservatives, and sealants which can contaminate the soil and groundwater. [[|4]]
 * Natural Resources**

Many cemeteries are kept pristine by regular applications of herbicides. Additionally, fossil fuels are used to dig and groom graves. [[|4]] Also cemeteries are made beautiful with turf and invasive exotic species of flowers and other plants. [[|4]]
 * Immaculate Cemeteries**

Here are some ways to make better choices when choosing how to honor your loved ones. The main idea is to participate in practices that do not use toxic chemicals or non-biodegradable materials.

Ask your funeral director about what kinds of sustainable options are there or homes that offer green practices. Green funeral specialists can help you explore more options, so you can choose the best way to honor your loved ones. [[|2]]
 * Ask**

Make it clear if you want a more environmentally friendly funeral. Add a clause in your will or a document that expresses your funeral wishes in advance. [[|2]]
 * Define**

Cremation can significantly reduce emissions, and it uses less space and resources. Also, choose biodegradable urns.
 * Cremation**

Consider skipping embalming, and request for a closed casket or rapid burial. Choose coffins that are made of materials that biodegrade more rapidly, such as those made from cardboard, bamboo, or jute. Also, opt for sustainable burial grounds, which are grounds that maintain the ecological quality of the land, and avoid concrete vaults. [[|2]]
 * Burial**

Consider choosing a natural or living memorial in replace of a quarried headstone or marble mausoleums. Perhaps plant a tree or a bush in honor of your loved ones. [[|2]]
 * Marker**

Instead of cut flowers, which have a short shelf-life, perhaps make a donation to a charity in your loved one’s name. [[|2]]
 * Gifts**

Use recycled paper for programs, source flowers from local growers, and choose local organic meals to be served. [[|2]]
 * Funeral Service**

There really is no “right way to die,” and standardizing death with the social conception of the “right way to die” may make choosing different and sometimes unpopular decisions, such as environmentally friendly options, frowned upon. [6] We’ve created “professionals of death” who capitalize on our losses and learned to commodify different aspects of death, such as embalming and extravagant funerals, which make death financially costly and environmentally unfriendly, because they’re first priority is not you and your loved ones, or the environment, it’s for the profit.
 * Rethink**

Here, 11 million people are impoverished and one-third of the population lives below the poverty line. Manila’s North Cemetery is home to 10,000 civilians, because as Manila’s population grew, so did it’s cemetery, and now the cemetery is home to many. [[|7]] This demonstrates how traditional practices may not be sustainable or respectful for the living or the dead.
 * Case Study: Manila, Philippines**

In Tibet, a corpse is either cremated or dismembered and fed to vultures. [[|8]]
 * Very Extreme Green**


 * [|How to Go Green: Funerals]
 * [|Green Burial Council]
 * [|Green Eyes on: Green Funerals]
 * [|Dead People Are Cool: Crematorium Heat Powers Air Conditioning]
 * For the Complete Bibliography, click here.**