FEATURE: Green Funerals

A while ago I received some books to review from a variety of publishers. Will be reviewing them all but the one that first caught my eye was Remember Me: A Lively Tour of the New American Way of Death by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. The chapter titled Biodegradable You just got me thinking from the start.

Something about Death fascinates us all I guess, in one way or another. It is both the ultimate mystery and the most final of acts.

This book is a gentle but interesting and readable look at the way the business of death is changing in the US (and beyond).

Cremation is already gaining ground (pardon the pun) on regular ground burials. Indeed it was only a matter of time before eco funerals became a reality and their popularity seems to now be growing.

You can, in the UK certainly, find plenty of options to explore when it comes to having a green funeral. Maybe you wish to be laid to rest in a funky, modern and very sustainable eco-pod? How about a, quite old-fashioned in my opinion, wicker coffins? Yes I said wicker! For me I quite like the idea of being buried in a shroud - perhaps a favourite throw? I like the idea of being embraced by the earth one last time.

Certainly here in the UK we seem to be ahead of the US on the green burial front:

The first green burial site opened in Carlisle in 1993 and there are now more than 200 across the UK. Now the Church of England is taking a greater interest as part of its drive to become more eco-friendly, with nine senior bishops meeting recently to discuss promoting greener graveyards.

As the above, written a couple of years ago, indicates there are a good few locations where you can be buried in woodland here in the UK. Makes sense to me to be able to make your final contribution to the planet a positive and peaceful one by saving your eco-soul and protecting beautiful land from potential development.

I am certainly very grateful to have read the book, which I probably would not have discovered otherwise. Provided me with a great overview of the way eco funerals seem to be headed and much food for thought. Well worth a look.

Namaste

Al

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