5 Factors To Consider When Thinking Of A Green Funeral

5 Factors To Consider When Thinking Of A Green Funeral

Many people are increasingly choosing to have their funeral done in an eco-friendly way. And taking into account the daily news of increasing pollution, this is actually a very honorable way to get the last rites done. And if you are tasked with overseeing such an eco friendly funeral of someone near you, then you need to keep in mind the following factors.

Burial Vs Cremation

The first thing you need to decide is whether you will have a cremation or a burial. While a cremation does not take any permanent spot from land and devoid it of vegetation, the ceremony itself will include the use of natural gas and will emit carbon dioxide. In contrast, a burial will produce no carbon emissions but will take up a piece of land where no trees will be grown for many decades. And given the pros and cons of both these methods, which method to choose is entirely your call. While the general view supports cremation as being good for the environment, many are challenging this view and saying that burial is the best eco friendly funeral option.

Coffin

If you do decide to have a burial, then you need to decide whether you will be using a coffin or not. Most coffins are generally made from wood which is laminated with many chemicals. When the coffin is buried in the ground, it will slowly release these chemicals over time and pollute the ground. And since you are looking for an eco-friendly funeral, it is recommended that you only use coffins that are natural and not use any chemicals. Better still, don’t use coffins at all. Instead, just wrap the body in cotton or any other degradable fabric and bury it in the ground.

Memorial

When it comes to memorials, what one has to understand is that the memorial stones are obtained from places as far as China. Not only do they add shipping costs, but the entire process for making the memorial stone and shipping it to the US will inevitably take a lot of carbon emissions. As such, do ensure that the stone used in the memorial is sourced locally, preferably from a service that also strictly follows environmental friendly procedures.

Floral Tributes

When accepting floral tributes for the deceased, make it known to the attendees to only use flowers without the accompaniment of anything non-biodegradable. Many times, people bring in flowers which are wrapped in plastic, cellophane, and so on. If you met them know beforehand, then the attendees can honor the deceased’s final wish and ensure that no no-biodegradable item is used in floral tributes.

Carbon Offset

This is a trend that is catching up pretty quickly. After death, the estate of the deceased will request the overseer to offset their carbon footprints which they have accumulated over a lifetime. This is usually done by using the estate funds for programs like the mass planting of trees so as to fight against forest depletion and make the world a better place.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *