| The eco-friendly alternative |
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| Written by Penny Kitchen, 2006 | |
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You can stick to your environmental principals even after you die, by asking for a ‘natural’ or ‘green’ funeral, reports Penny Kitchen. Back in the late 1980s, eyebrows were raised if you said you were sending your loved one off in a cardboard coffin – it smacked of hippy, tree-hugging stuff, or even worse, miserliness and disrespect. But environmental issues have risen so far up the social and political agenda that today the reaction would be very different. Indeed, according to Roslyn Cassidy of Green Endings, alternative funerals and ‘eco-burials’ are becoming very popular indeed.In times of grief we instinctively reach for the old ritual, the familiar words of the religion we were brought up in (even though we may have ceased observance long ago) and we order the most expensive coffin we can afford to show we care. But as more of us move away from organised religion, as cemeteries become overcrowded and as we in the West have begun to realise the effect we are having on the planet, an alternative is emerging – the green funeral. It is important not to mix up the religious or non-religious aspect of the funeral service with the ‘eco-friendly’, ‘natural’ or ‘woodland’ aspect of the burial or cremation. One family may want a bamboo coffin and a Catholic requiem mass in church followed by a burial in the garden – all of which can be arranged. Another family may want a Humanist service using a traditional coffin followed by a burial in a ‘green’ cemetery. You can make it as individual and as celebratory as you wish.  A woodland burial. But in fact, there are very few rules and regulations other than Health & Safety governing UK funerals and burials – although cremations must be carried out at a crematorium. If you want a woodland burial, there are now around 200 woodland burial sites in the UK. You can even bury someone in the garden if you really want to. This has to be stated on the deeds, there must be no restrictive covenants on your title deeds and DEFRA must be consulted re watercourses. It will almost certainly reduce the value of your property – and what if you eventually move? A small but growing number of people are choosing to handle everything from the time of death to the final interment themselves – a DIY funeral – and the Natural Death Centre has a resource list and handbook that will help you do this. Some high street funeral directors have begun to offer people a choice. However if an alternative form of funeral is what you want, there are some who actually specialise in it. One is Memorial Woodlands in a valley near Bristol where its own burial ground of fields and meadows is being gradually transformed into woodland with trees planted to commemorate the dead. Oak, chestnut, holly, rowan, silver birch, cherry, lime, ash, elder and beech along with wildflowers – cowslips, crocuses, primroses, snowdrops, bluebells and wild daffodils – are evolving into an indigenous mixed woodland and wildlife habitat. Nothing fazes the staff here: if the family want mourners to wear Everton shirts or the colour purple (both have happened), there’s no problem. Funerals have included an eight-hour Russian Orthodox ceremony and one request for a bouncy castle. “If someone doesn’t want a service but just wants to sit in the chapel with the deceased and have music playing, that’s fine too,” says director Wayne Armstrong. “It is up to us to help the family celebrate a life, whether that is with the help of orthodox religion or not,” he says. “Time, space and privacy is what we offer as part of the healing process. We have only one funeral a day here so friends and relatives have the whole day to say goodbye.” Roslyn Cassidy, a former physiotherapist with a business degree, was inspired to start up her business, Green Endings, in London in 2000. “There seemed to be no funeral service geared to people like myself who wanted something more meaningful to them and more environmentally friendly. I have always been interested in the rituals around dying – not necessarily the ones provided by orthodox religions. “Arranging a funeral isn’t like learning to order your groceries online,” says Roslyn. “We may only do it once or twice in our lives. People find out about alternative funerals through attending one – that’s how our business has grown.” She is familiar with most of the natural burial sites available and can ensure the family chooses the one that’s right for them. Numerous helpful websites make the choices clear, so however pressurised you feel after the death of a loved one, take the time to look at these before you make important decisions – just enter ‘green funerals’ or ‘alternative funerals’ in your search engine. Your choice can make a differenceThe coffinThis is a necessary and unavoidable purchase that simply performs a practical function. If you believe it does not matter what it is made from, especially if it’s going to be cremated, then opt for cardboard, wicker or bamboo – even a simple shroud for a burial – which are all biodegradable alternatives. It is possible to buy an inner cardboard coffin and have it covered with a more ornate outer version for the service. This is then removed before cremation. Embalming To be fully eco-friendly (for, say, a woodland burial), no embalming is usually carried out. Burial v cremation Cremation may be cheaper than a burial, but it isn’t as environmentally friendly because it uses fossil fuel (gas) and the emissions are substantial. It is estimated that up to 11 per cent of mercury in our atmosphere comes from crematoria emissions. Woodland burials Woodland burial grounds aim to plant broadleaf trees to help stem the deterioration of our atmosphere and provide wildlife habitats. They are generally less expensive than a local authority cemetery, but you should check that they will remain burial grounds in perpetuity. Further information
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