Inspired Journeys is the Midwest’s first woman-owned and client-centered natural death care provider. So you may not be surprised to know that we are excited about increasing awareness of natural options at the end of life. Green burial is a key piece of this puzzle.
Are you interested in burial at a local natural cemetery? Or would you like to ask your favorite cemetery about how you can leave a greener final footprint? Either way, we are delighted to partner with you.
All of the burial packages on our General Price List are compatible with green burial. Feel free to download our planning guide and explore our options.
What Is Green Burial?
Green burial can mean a lot of different things, but often includes these characteristics:
Caring for the Dead
Natural funeral care means caring for the person who died without embalming, generally using dry ice or other cooling techniques. Additionally, green cemeteries may expect that the deceased is buried in natural fiber clothing, and that any products used in the deceased’s care that are not biodegradable (bandages, tape, etc.) are removed prior to burial.
Caskets, Shrouds, Urns, and Other Products
Biodegradable caskets or coffins are made from renewable resources like bamboo, wicker, seagrass, and the like. They often avoid glue, staples, plastics, and other materials that are not biodegradable. And instead of caskets or coffins, many green burials simply wrap the dead in a biodegradable shroud.
Further, green burial does not use concrete or fiberglass outer burial containers to encase the casket or shroud. Finally, many green cemeteries limit grave markers to natural rocks, native plantings, or even a simple GPS marker.
Conservation Efforts?
Many modern burial practices harm the planet to some degree. Natural burial aims to reduce that harm. But if conservation efforts are included in a natural cemetery’s plans, green burial may actually restore some of the harm that modern life has caused. Conservation burial grounds have specific conservation goals to remove invasive species and restore natural habitats to make them more hospitable to native flora and fauna.
