GSG Green Burial Task Force
The purpose of the Green Burial Task Force is to raise awareness of the environmental benefits of green burial and to work toward the creation of a local green burial ground. In addition we will serve as a resource for matters relating to environmentally sensitive care of our dead especially the practice of home funerals.
Background
Human beings can improve their environmental impact by shifting from modern burial, including cremation, toward green burial. Green burial is a new practice that combines scientific knowledge of ecosystems and environmental advocacy with the ancient practice of earth burial. In a green burial bodies are buried without embalming fluids in a biodegradable cloth or container with minimal disruption to the surrounding ecosystem. Unlike cemeteries, green burial spaces provide protected wilderness areas for local plant and animal species.
In addition, home funeral is a practice that includes simple preparation of the body without embalming, then placing it in a degradable box or wrapping it in a shroud. It takes control of the final care of a loved one from the funeral industry and returns it to family and friends, potentially resulting in a more satisfactory goodbye to the deceased and greater bonding among those remaining.
History
In June and July of this 2009, Kathleen Garces-Foley showed the film Lasting Images: Alternatives to Traditional Burial and facilitated a series of three discussions on the subject. From these gatherings, we have compiled a list of 20-some interested people. We are learning that:
- full body burial, done properly, can give back nutrients to the soil and to plant life,
- individuals can take on many of the tasks that we have given over to funeral industry, including body preparation, celebration of life, and burial, if well prepared,
- embalming is almost never needed, but one must be proactive to avoid it,
- a church can establish a cemetery in the state of Virginia without being subject to the regulation and expense that a non-religious organization would face
Contact the group's email for more information.
