Going Green: Natural Burial - No Funeral Home?

The funeral industry in the United States projects that the average cost of a funeral in 2008 is around $6,500. (thefuneralguy.com) That is a nice chunk of change but when you consider inflation and cost of living increases that the cost of a funeral has increased little in 10 years.

Funerals cost do vary because of the services offered and the services people request. The federal government requires all funeral homes to present customers with a price list of services. The customer can choose the services and options they which. States, however, have a few laws that govern burials. The cemetery also has rules that govern burials in their plots. The funeral director must take those laws and rules into account when advising clients.

Dr. Billy Campbell is the founder of Ramsey Creek in South Carolina is the first "green cemetery" in the United States. There are less than twenty such cemeteries. What is unique about them is that there are no grave markers. The bodies, unlike in a traditional funeral home burial, do not have to be embalmed or have a casket. Burial is often in a homemade wooden box or merely wrapped in a shroud.

The idea behind the "green cemetery" is not cost saving as much as it is saving the environment. The two do go hand-in-hand because without all the funeral home services and costly options money is saved. And, because there is no grave marker and no grass-cutting or other site care the grave is completely natural. Gravesites are in a wooded area and not even the trees are disturbed by a burial. Family members are encouraged to plant a tree or shrub as a marker and memorial.

State laws do require that a body be embalmed if it is to be viewed or not buried within a certain amount of time. There are also laws concerning the transportation of bodies. So, if a person chooses to be buried in a "green cemetery" that is so distance from the place they died a funeral home director will have to be consulted.

"Green cemeteries" and natural burial are an alliterative to traditional funeral home services. Many cemeteries are now providing space for natural burials. If you are interested in a natural burial you should consult a local funeral home.