Green Burials or Green Funerals – How Green is Green?

Everything these days seems to be going “green.”  I recall last spring a nationwide supplier of flowers and plants ran an add campaign that promoted the “pot” the plants were placed in.  They weren’t saying how beautiful their plants were or how wonderful your yard would look when adorned with an assortment of their plants.  Rather, they were touting that the containers the plants were placed in could be buried right there in your yard and that they were biodegradable.

Well, it seems that the “Green” movement has taken root in the funeral and cemetery industry.  Recently the National Funeral Directors Association released a question and answer series on “Green Funeral Service Questions and Answers.” While it needs to be stated that there is no licensing organization that has defined a “Green Funeral or Burial” – the NFDA is taking the lead in addressing questions about how funeral service professionals deal with the growing demand for “Green” products and services.

Below is a reprint of the NFDA Questions and Answers:

What is a green funeral?

A green funeral incorporates environmentally-friendly options to meet the needs of a family requesting a green service. A green funeral may include any or all of the following basic options: no embalming or embalming with formaldehyde-free products; the use of sustainable biodegradable clothing, shroud or casket; using recycled paper products, locally-grown organic flowers, organic food; carpooling; arranging a small memorial gathering in a natural setting; natural or green burial.

What is natural or green burial?

In a “purist” natural or green burial, the body is buried, without embalming, in a natural setting. Any shroud or casket that is used must be biodegradable, nontoxic, and of sustainable material. Traditional standing headstones are not permitted. Instead, flat rocks, plants or trees may serve as grave markers; some cemeteries use GPS to mark the locations of gravesites. A “natural or green burial” may also simply mean burial without embalming, in a biodegradable casket without a vault, when permitted by a cemetery.

What is a green cemetery?

A green cemetery is a burial site that does not permit vaults, non-biodegradable caskets or embalming chemicals. It uses no herbicides, pesticides or irrigation for maintenance of the cemetery grounds. Any material used at a green cemetery must meet the goal of replenishing the earth. There are cemeteries in the U.S. that accommodate both conventional burial practices and vaultless burial on their premises; others incorporate some features of a green cemetery such as sustainable landscape design and natural memorialization.

The first green burial in the modern sense took place in England in 1993; in the ensuing 15 years, the number of green burial grounds in the UK has grown to nearly 40. In the United States, one of the first natural burial grounds was opened in 1996 in western South Carolina. Some green cemeteries are established as conservation areas in accordance with specific state laws. There are now green cemeteries in 10 states – California, Florida, Georgia, Maine, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, and Utah – with more under development. The resource section at the end of this Q&A provides a link to U.S. green burial information.

When a cemetery does require a vault, do I have “green” alternatives?

Check first with the cemetery to determine what is allowed, such as:

1. Casket protectors or grave liners that are open on the bottom, such as those used in Orthodox Jewish funerals, so that the body comes into contact with the earth.

1. Using a regular vault that is turned upside-down.

What about cremation? Is it considered “green”?

In general, cremation is not considered “green” because the cremation process uses nonrenewable fossil fuels, even though cremation does use fewer resources than conventional forms of disposition. Cremation also produces airborne emissions. However, cremated remains do not need to be interred in a cemetery, which reduces land use.

What is a green funeral home?

A green funeral home is a business that operates in an environmentally-responsible manner. Owners and staff comply with environmental protection, health, and safety laws and regulations, and follow NFDA’s environmental, health, and safety best practices. Green funeral homes are energy-efficient and follow resource-saving practices, operating in a manner that is sustainable. Sustainable in this sense means business practices that do not deplete resources and that only will have minimal impact on the environment.

It is interesting that when one searches for Green Burial one of the first sites that arises is the title “Carolina Green Burials” which is the site for cremation-sc.com.  As pointed out by the NFDA cremation is not “green”.  By some accounts it takes between 9 to 19 gallons of gas to properly cremate a body.  Hence the use of petrocarbons and the emissions released do not meet the standard of “Green” funeral or burial.  The argument in favor of cremation is it does not require the use of embalming fluid (although many bodies are embalmed before cremation takes place) and the lack of need for a specific burial space.  “Green” however, provides the natural return to the earth and hence the use of space is insignificant as, over time, it can be reused.

While there are many sources for information -for more information about “Green” burial contact Joe Sehee, who is the founder/executive director of the Green Burial Council.  He has worked in the green burial field since 2002 and the deathcare industry since 1999.  A senior fellow with Environmental Leadership Program Fellow and a PERC “enviropreneur,” Joe also consults land trusts, park service agencies, and private landowners interested in developing burial grounds as a strategy for protecting natural areas.  He can be reached at 888-966-3330.

Try This One On For Size – Did Cave Funeral Services in South Carolina Adjust James Hines Size to Fit in the Casket?

An incredible story appeared in CNN this past week that is amazing, incomprehensible and painful regardless of outcome.  There is no doubt that the family of James Hines – deceased – is experiencing pain.  There is no doubt that the cloud of suspicion hanging over Cave Funeral Services located in Allendale, South Carolina is the kind of publicity that is never good.  And, there is no doubt that reports like this continue to raise concerns on the part of the public and move the population toward cremation – a rising trend.

At question in this story – did the funeral home sever the legs of 6-foot, 5-inch James Hines in order to make him fit in the casket?

The CNN report states the following:

A former Cave Funeral Services employee has alleged since James Hines’ death from skin cancer in 2004 that Hines was too tall for his coffin and that the funeral home took extreme measures to make him fit, Allendale County Coroner Hayzen Black told CNN.

Officials exhumed Hines’ body Tuesday, Black said, and a fair amount of “undesirable evidence” was found, although he could not comment further.

The coroner’s office handed the case over to law enforcement officials for a criminal investigation, he said.

Obviously, based on the public report, there was some belief that such an action on the part of the funeral service provider was possible for the exhumation to take place as part of an investigation.  While all parties are considered innocent until proven guilty, the comment about “undesirable evidence” is troubling in that it would lead one to believe that perhaps the allegation was not made by a disgruntled employee.  Regardless of outcome, the question that has been raised creates quite the opposite of what funeral service professionals desire for remaining families – namely closure.

Ruth Hines, widow of the dead man, told WJBF that the allegations and exhumation of Hines’ body are difficult for her.

“I’m just going through quite a bit,” she said. “It’s like starting all over again, and it’s left me with hurt and numbness.”

“According to the measurements on the casket, and the funeral director, we asked him, ‘Was this suitable for his length?’ and he said, ‘Yes that will be perfect,'” Ruth Hines said.

In a report by Fraendy Clervaud of station WJBF-TV the following was stated:

I talked with the funeral director, Wednesday afternoon.

Charlie G., owner, Cave Funeral Services: “The records will speak for itself.”

Further NBC – Augusta reported on March 31, 2009 –

As the top came off and the body was examined, the coroners and investigators determined something wasn’t right, but they wouldn’t confirm what.

“SLED and the [South Carolina Department of] Licensing investigating has found some causes for further investigation,” said Allendale County Coroner Hayzen Black.

If county officials determine Caves broke the law with its handling of James Hines’s body, the business could be shut down by the end of the week.

Caves Funeral Services has been accused of unlawful practices in the past.

What next?  Well after the examination by law enforcement officials the body was wrapped and re-buried it in a new casket.

Realizing the State of South Carolina is conservative in their view and application of funeral rules and law, it is clear that if inappropriate activity has taken place, the funeral service provider will be dealt with swiftly.   More to come and as always –

According to a UK report:

But Ann Hines was more forthcoming. She said investigators told her that her husband’s legs had been cut off between ankle and calf and his feet placed inside the casket. “It’s just like pulling the scab off an old sore. It was kind of like smoothing things out. But now it’s like its starting all over again,” she said.

Under South Carolina law, destroying or desecrating human remains is punishable by between one and 10 years imprisonment. A man who identified himself as the owner of Cave Funeral Home, responsible for the funeral, declined to ­comment, according to the Associated Press.

“You hear old wives’ tales about this around the turn of the century, but no, this was a shock to me,” said Doggett Whitaker, a past president of the National Funeral Directors Association.

Funeral directors sometimes pull up the knees or shift the padding in the coffin to make sure the body fits. But the best solution is usually a longer casket, Whitaker said, adding: “Just being upfront and honest with the family is the best path to take.”

He said bodies are usually measured and families told where a corpse’s head will rest in the casket. Longer caskets are routinely manufactured, though they cost more than standard ones.

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