The Rise of Popularity of “Green Burials” Shouldn’t be Surprising

Are funerals and burials one of the last bastions of change in the U.S.? Many people think there are limited options when it comes to putting to rest a loved one…not so any longer. There has been a lot of discussion and change when it comes to the funeral industry in the last few years with many more expected in the future. The options have increased significantly for people but most don’t even know they exist.

Funerals in the U.S. have been pretty traditional and with limited options. It has usually been a choice of being buried or cremated. What people did with the remains of a loved one after they passed away didn’t vary much between regions or religious persuasions. For many decades, people were embalmed and placed in an ornate coffin where they were laid to rest in the ground or placed in a mausoleum. If they weren’t placed in a casket, the other option was to go through the cremation process with the remains placed in an urn. The urn can be buried, put in a mausoleum or taken home.

Today, however, people are beginning to rethink the process and look for other alternatives. This is do in part to the ever increasing costs of funerals and then entire process. Funerals can be incredibly expensive these days and plots in a cemetery are rising quickly with the increasing cost of land. In addition to the rising costs and the emphasis on the environment, people are looking for different alternatives to these more traditional methods to lay a loved one to rest.

One of the growing areas of interest is for people to have their remains handled in an “environmentally friendly” way, as The New York Times reports in "Thinking About Having a 'Green' Funeral? Here's What to Know."

A green funeral can mean several different things. Just like many other “green initiatives,” this can often times be misunderstood as well. Having a “green funeral” is generally an umbrella term that covers several different practices currently available. There will certainly be more options coming about with the increased focus of this trend.

One of the options is to choose not to have their body embalmed so the chemicals will not seep into the ground. Another option of a green funeral is to have their loved ones buried in plain wooden boxes that will eventually biodegrade as opposed to some of the ornate boxes that could last a very long time in the ground. And yet another option is for people to have a coffin at all…but to just be buried in a simple cloth shroud. Other options will certainly be coming about as people get more creative about being “green.”

But regardless of how someone chooses to handle this when they lose a loved one or when making their own wishes known is planning. Advanced planning is without question the most important part of this process, regardless of the method used. When preplanning is done, it saves everyone incredible amounts of stress and uncertainty in an already very difficult time. Review this with your attorney and make it a part of your Will or Estate Plan. Thinking and acting on this well in advance can be one of the best gifts you can give back to your loved ones.