Environmentally Friendly Funerals Have Many Advantages

Having green, environmentally friendly funerals may sound strange to some, but to others, this new idea is just what they’ve been looking for. After all, the passing of a loved one is a deeply spiritual occruence and why shouldn’t the corresponding processions and rituals be carried out in an environmentally conscious way that would sit well with Mother Nature?

Planning a funeral is one of the most stressful things we will ever do, however knowing that you can be helping the environment, and that the burial is much more natural, can help alleviate some of that stress. For many people, this can make the task of planning their funeral an easier and more rewarding experience, as they know that their decision to have an environmentally friendly funeral will help the planet, in part contributing to a positive legacy that their loved one can now leave behind.

1. Help Friends and Family

When someone you love passes away, it can be absolutely devastating and when you visit them in a regular cemetery, it can feel impersonal and unnatural. However, one of the best benefits of environmentally friendly funerals, is that your loved one will be laid to rest in a beautifully natural setting, surrounded by trees and plants. So when you visit their grave, you can feel much closer to them and much closer to nature, a feeling that helps many families come to terms with the death of their loved one. When making arrangements for your own funeral, knowing that people can visit you in a beautiful and tranquil location, in harmony with nature, can lighten the load of constant worry that comes with making this end of life arrangement.

2. Less chemicals

When people are buried the traditional way, they are embalmed before they are buried. The fluid used in embalming is made of ethanol, water, and 5-30% formaldehyde, which is a suspected carcinogen. After the burial, as the body decomposes, these chemicals leak out into the surrounding areas, and in the US, over 827,000 gallons of embalming fluid are used each year. However, with environmentally friendly funerals, bodies are buried naturally, with no chemicals to delay decomposition, making them a much more natural alternative that’s healthier for the environment.

3. Conservation

The cemetery itself is often a barren area of land with minimal trees and plants. However, with environmentally friendly funerals, the aim is to also protect the land. Only small and locally soured stones are used as headstones and everything is done so there is no impact to the surrounding area. Knowing that in your passing, you are protecting the environment and helping to make the world a better place for your decedents can be a wonderful feeling.

4. No Air Pollution

Many people choose to be cremated rather than buried, often because it is cheaper. However, while it may be cheaper, and while people may think it’s environmentally friendly, it’s certainly not green.  In fact, this process releases many toxic chemicals into the atmosphere, as well as burning fossil fuels that release around 10.5 million kilograms of carbon dioxide into the air each year.

In addition to carbon dioxide, cremations also release:

Hydrogen chlorideFormaldehydeCarbon monoxideDioxinsMercuryOrganochlorides

The benefit of having a eco-friendly green funeral is that none of these chemicals are released, so there is no detrimental impact to the surrounding areas.

5. Biodegradable

It’s not just the embalming process that can damage the environment. The coffins themselves can also become an issue as they can be made from materials that are expensive and can take decades to decompose. Each year in the US, over 30 million board feet of tropical, rare, or expensive hardwood is used to make coffins, plus they are often decorated with what adds up to almost 3000 tons of copper and brass. The idea behind a environmentally friendly funeral, is that nothing that isn’t completely biodegradable can be used. Instead, methods that date back thousands of years are used, such as wrapping the person in a shroud of natural material or placing them in a coffin made of cardboard, paper or bamboo.

The joy of environmentally friendly funerals is knowing that you’ve made your mark in life in the hearts of your friends and family and not on the earth; a comforting thought during the stressful time of planning your end of life arrangements.

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Five Advantages of Eco Funerals and Burials

Even funerals are becoming green these days, which speaks to the environmental concerns of society in general. You’d think that death would be the final frontier, where issues like being friendly to the environment don’t really matter anymore, but you’d be wrong. Funerals can actually be bad for the environment because of all of the embalming fluids that are used on dead bodies. While cremation is becoming far more popular, many people still see their bodies as a vessel for their souls, at least while they’re on Earth. That’s why traditional funerals and religious rites are still the norm. However, if going green appeals to you, here are five advantages of eco funerals and burials.

No Need for Embalming Fluids

A so-called green burial would not require the use of any embalming fluids. Embalming fluids have been known to preserve the human body’s remains a lot longer than what is necessary or natural. As such, they actually contribute to a certain degree of environmental pollution, especially over the long term. A green burial would not pollute the environment due to its focus on all-natural processes and is often chosen for eco funerals.

More Room for Natural Growth

A traditional cemetery is a site that really does not permit for much natural growth at all. A green burial would reverse that problem because the ground won’t be perennially disturbed in order to place coffins into the ground. Further, there also won’t be any headstones that are required, thereby leaving more of the natural environment that only works to promote more natural growth.

Everything’s All-Natural

The big problem with traditional funerals is that they aren’t friendly to the environment because of the use of unnatural ingredients like embalming fluids, a metal casket and concrete burial vault, and so on. Eco funerals, on the other hand, simply allows for the body to recycle and decompose in the most natural way possible. The body’s interment in the soil will not impede decomposition in any way.

Eco Funerals and Burials Still Look Nice

Some people cringe at the thought of a green burial because they believe it won’t be as respectful or ceremonial as a traditional burial, but nothing is further from the truth. Instead of a headstone, a tree or native flat rock will be utilized to mark the burial, and inscriptions are still an option. In addition, vegetation around the burial site can be pre-chosen. People often prefer to visit their deceased loved one’s at a natural burial ground because it is much more peaceful due to its park-like setting.

Easier for Families

Loved ones who visit a proper cemetery tend to get depressed because of the reminder of death all around them. Green burials take place in sites that can double as nature preserves, which means that visiting loved ones have the option of even picnicking or hiking in the area when they visit their dead loved ones.

These are the five advantages of eco funerals and burials. These types of funerals and burials have been around for many centuries. However, it was only in modern times that they have been disrupted by new methods like embalming, metal caskets, vaults, and other practices that are harmful to the environment. Eco funerals are definitely an alternative to traditional Western burial methods, which some may find interesting and worth looking into more.

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Cartoon on Weddings and My Take on Funerals

Cartoon on Weddings and My Take on Funerals

In today’s Sunday funnies, the Luann comic strip looks at all the details of organizing weddings. What most folks don’t think about is the need to apply the same detailed planning to organizing funerals.

Luann’s brother Brad is going to marry his sweetheart Toni. Toni has been looking at wedding websites and has found a list of things to do before “I Do.” She tells Brad, “Ready for this? To plan our wedding we have 228 decisions to make.” He replies, “Well, I’ve already made one decision. I vow to love you for the rest of my life.”

She replies, ” That’s very sweet, Brad. But you still have to help on the other 227.” He grins, “What if I vow not to interfere with wedding plans? Would that count as helping?”

Now, Brad and Toni are planning their wedding months in advance. Yet most people do not discuss, think about or plan for their own funeral or for anyone else. Would you want to make those 227 decisions in the span of 48 hours?

You might not have as many as 227 decisions to make when a death occurs, but it will feel like it. Being prepared and planning ahead makes it much easier for those you love. If you would like a list of 50 Things That Must Be Done When A Death Occurs, email a note to me care of Gail[at]AGoodGoodbye.com and I’ll send it to you pronto!

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Dear Abby on Photos at Funerals

Dear Abby on Photos at Funerals

A recent Dear Abby column dished some good funeral etiquette advice on the question of taking pictures at funerals.

DEAR ABBY: What is proper etiquette for someone who takes pictures at a funeral?

I am a recent widow who received a package from an out-of-town relative. In it were several envelopes for my family. One of them was for my sister, who lives 40 miles away. I gave my sister a call and told her it looked like it contained a stack of pictures. She said I should go ahead and open it.

Inside were photos taken at my husband’s funeral — pictures of the funeral home, inside the church, the casket, and some of me and my daughter sitting at the gravesite. Abby, it was like going to the funeral all over again! The latter were particularly disturbing.

To me, it felt like voyeurism. Why would someone take pictures of such a sad event? I hope you print this and tell me and others what your opinion is so they may heed your advice — particularly my in-laws. — GRIEVING WIDOW IN INDIANA

DEAR GRIEVING: Please accept my sympathy for the loss of your husband. I can only imagine the shock you experienced when you saw the photos. No one should take pictures at funerals without first having received permission from the immediate survivors such as the widow, widower or children.

That said, the practice is not as uncommon as you might think. After a period of time, family members have been known to find comfort in having them. Short of asking your permission, your trauma could have been avoided had the relative who sent the pictures thought to label the envelopes or include a note explaining what was inside them. That way, you wouldn’t have had to view them until you were ready — if ever — and were prepared emotionally.

My two cents: I agree with Abby – don’t take pictures without first asking permission. And in our social media world, do not post anything online without an okay first from the immediate survivors!

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Green Burial and Eco-Friendly Funerals: Episode 4 of A Good Goodbye TV

Green Burial and Eco-Friendly Funerals: Episode 4 of A Good Goodbye TV

Want to “go green” with your funeral or cremation?

Episode Four of A Good Goodbye TV looks at green burial and eco-friendly funerals. While most people associate green only with living, green funerals and green burials provide a way to make end-of-life more meaningful. The discussion includes cremation scattering, funeral resource use and ways to reduce environmental impact.

The guest for this program is Darren Crouch, president of Passages International, which also sponsors the educational website AGreenerFuneral.org. The website introduces the reader to the full spectrum of greener practices one might consider when planning a funeral.

A Good Goodbye host Gail Rubin was interviewed on The Morning Brew program about the debut of A Good Goodbye TV on Albuquerque’s uPUBLIC.tv. Here’s a YouTube video of that interview:

A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die is currently airing on Albuquerque’s Comcast cable system on the uPUBLIC.tv Channels 26 and 27. Each episode is scheduled as follows:

On Channel 26, the time slots (which are subject to change) are currently Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m. and Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. On Channel 27, the program airs Thursdays at 5:00 p.m. and Sundays at 9:00 a.m.Episodes will also appear on both channels in additional unscheduled repeats.

A Good Goodbye TV is an educational and entertaining 14-episode series of 30-minute programs with expert interviews on “everything you need to know before you go.”

Host Gail Rubin brings a light touch to a serious subject. Like her award-winning book, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die, the television program covers information most people don’t know about until faced with a death in the family.

The first 12 programs will become a set of DVDs with three interviews per disc. A Good Goodbye TV interviews will be grouped by content:

DVD 1  Over My Dead Body: Essentials of Funeral Planning – Preneed funeral planning, cremation, cemetery Q&ADVD 2  Trending Topics: Pets, Funeral Parties and Going Green – Pet loss grief and disposition choices, life celebrations and celebrants, green burial and eco-friendly funeralsDVD 3  Death and Taxes: A Primer on Finances and Funerals – estate planning, financial planning, cost managementDVD 4  Good Grief! Save Money, Live and Die Better – Medicaid and more, advance directives, grief counseling

SPECIAL OFFER: Place your advance order for the four-DVD set at a 20% discount! The series will retail for $49.97. Place your pre-production order today for only $39.97 plus shipping. A free copy of the book A Good Goodbye will be sent right away to those who place advance orders. CLICK HERE to order.

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Home Funerals in South Carolina

Kudos to the FCA of South Carolina for helping with this great article in the Columbia Star laying out the plain facts about home and family-directed funerals. 

Excerpt:

The FCA-SC explains why some would want to choose this option: Some may wish to do this because it seems more fitting and personal for them to care for their own dead rather than turning the body over to a funeral home. Other than embalming, which is never required by law, there is nothing that a funeral director can do that anyone acting as such cannot do for themselves. For most of our history, the family took the responsibility for caring for their own dead. Over recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in reclaiming this practice.

Another reason may be financial. The average cost of a funeral, not including any cemetery costs, is now more than $6,500. With caskets readily available on the internet or by building one yourself-it is possible to provide a meaningful and dignified funeral for a fraction of that price.

There is nothing in the South Carolina Code (laws) that requires the use of a funeral director. The situation is governed by the Code of Regulations 61-19.

Last Updated ( Monday, 04 March 2013 14:24 )  

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Article on Healing Funerals

Article on Healing Funerals

The website Funeral Home Resource recently ran an article I wrote on Healing Funerals. Titled Create a Healing Funeral with These Four “Rs”, it covers four key elements of any good funeral or memorial service.

The four Rs stand for Recognize Reality, Remember, Reaffirm Beliefs and Release the Spirit. More details in the story at the Funeral Home Resource website.

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Rabbi Prevails-Pennsyvlania Can't Stop Private Religious Funerals

Wednesday, 19 December 2012 17:03

—Josh Slocum, Executive Director 

What would you say if a state agency said you were required to hire a licensed supervisor for your son’s Bar Mitzvah? Or engage a “Certified Celebration Director”* to oversee the events at your daughter’s Quinceañera? You’re probably laughing, but that’s exactly what the state of Pennsylvania tried to do with funerals. But outspoken Pittsburgh Rabbi Daniel Wasserman put the kibosh on this unwarranted intrusion by settling a case against the Commonwealth on December 17, 2012. The State Board of Funeral Directors and the Department of State agreed in a memorandum that laws requiring funeral director licensure do not apply to individuals or religious communities that carry out funerals privately without profit or payment.

We’ve written about Pennsylvania’s officious and intimidating meddling in private funerals before. Unable to understand the limits of their statutory authority, the Board and lawyers from the Department of State threatened a woman with prosecution and a $10,000 fine for caring for her own mother’s body at home and arranging her burial without hiring a funeral director. Allowing themselves to be used by undertakers with base motives, these state entities launched investigations of this “unlicensed practice” after funeral directors complained. It would be a joke if the consequences weren’t so serious—one complaint stated Rabbi Wasserman served as the rabbi at a burial where “no licensed funeral director was present.” Pass the smelling salts.

Rabbi Wasserman’s case took aim at Pennsylvania for violating freedom of religious practice under the federal and state constitutions. Orthodox (and ancient) Jewish tradition calls for the congregation, not commercial undertakers, to care for the body and perform ritual observances. Embalming is considered a desecration. After receiving letters threatening prosecution, Wasserman’s Chevra Kadisha (Jewish burial society) ceased functioning for fear of jail and fines.

The settlement decrees that individuals, congregations, and committees of religious organizations who care for and bury the dead without profit are not subject to the state’s funeral director licensing laws. Carrying out burials does not constitute unlicensed practice of funeral service and cannot be prosecuted. The state is to inform all funeral directors and state staff of this fact within 90 days.

Rabbi Wasserman’s persistence makes him a hero for everyone in Pennsylvania. Quakers, the Amish, Islamic congregations, and many Christian denominations also care for their own dead and had much to fear from an overzealous regulatory apparatus.

But this is not just an issue of religious freedom. While the situation in Pennsylvania did indeed constitute a breach of those freedoms, non-religious people have the same rights.  In short: you do not have to profess a religious belief to have the right to perform private, family-directed funerals. Religious freedom, includes freedom from religion, not just the freedom to engage in it. Broadly speaking, the issue is about the rights and autonomy of citizens to pursue their interests according to their own wishes and beliefs—whether religious or not—without interference from the state.

FCA’s own David Morrison, a Quaker and an elder-law attorney in Lancaster who serves on the national board, threw his support behind the Wasserman case and helped bring it to a successful conclusion.

Maybe you’re surprised to know it’s legal to carry out a funeral for your own family member without hiring a funeral director. But why? I often say that even those of us who are educated, competent adults lose our rational faculties when the talk turns to death and dead bodies. So sheltered are we from the realities of death that we fear funerals and death and we succumb to myths and misinformation that we’d never believe if the subject were anything else. Surely you must hire a funeral director, we think, it’s dead bodies we’re talking about.

Well, no. It helps to think by analogy. If I open a restaurant I have to apply to the Board of Health for a permit. The Board has the power to inspect my facilities for sanitary conditions, it can require me to store raw meat away from fresh vegetables, and it can put me out of business if I make food that sickens my customers. But the Board of Health has no jurisdiction over my own kitchen. I can cook food for as many family members and guests as I like and my refrigerator can be in a state of disarray.

What’s the difference? Money. Restaurants sell food to the public and the state has a responsibility to ensure they do so safely. But the state has no interest in barring me from cooking a meal for my own family, and it cannot tell me I’m required to hire a licensed caterer to feed my family and dinner guests.

It’s just the same with funerals. Funeral homes are regulated to protect customers from unethical practices. But that does not mean that we are  required to be customers and hire a commercial firm if we choose to carry out funerals ourselves. Simply because we’re so used to doing so does not mean that we don’t have the right to bury our own dead. Requiring the use of a funeral home is on a par with requiring dads to hire licensed babysitters to watch little Johnny on weekends, or to require daughters to hire registered nurses to care for  her dying mom at home even if we prefer to wash and bathe her ourselves.

Most of you reading this will have changed a baby’s diaper, given a sponge bath to an invalid relative, and filled out an application for a motor vehicle registration. If so, you’ve done just about everything you can expect to have to do when a death occurs. In most cases the care of the body and the paperwork are no more complicated than anything you consider normal and routine.

Even if a home funeral is not your choice, it helps to know your rights. We should all support protecting those rights for other people who make choices that are right for them.

*There is no such thing. . . yet. Given the proliferation of trumped up titles and professional puffery readers should stay alert

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 19 December 2012 20:53 )  

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Family, Fun, and . . . Funerals?

A little reminder to have that talk at the next big family get together. . .

MEDIA RELEASE: Labor Day (September 3, 2012)                                           Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Josh Slocum: Executive Director/Funeral Consumers Alliance: www.funerals.org
Mailing Address: 33 Patchen Road, South Burlington, VT 05403
Phone: 802-865-8300 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Labor Day — All About Family, Fun, and . . .Funerals?

On Labor Day, Americans celebrate the important contributions of working people with parades, picnics, and family reunions. Naturally our thoughts turn to the value of our labor and the dollars it brings in. What a great time to talk about funerals!

“It’s all about the conversation,” says Josh Slocum, executive director of Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting a consumer's right to choose a meaningful, dignified, affordable funeral. “If you want to be certain to get exactly what you want at a price you can afford, you need to be talking about it now. Grab a hot dog and some potato salad, sit down at the picnic table, and have the conversation with the people you love. A little planning now could save thousands of dollars later.”

Slocum is co-author of Final Rights: Reclaiming the American Way of Death, the most comprehensive book available on funeral and burial purchases. He advises people to shop around. “You’ll be amazed at the price difference from one funeral home to the next,” he says. “Check it out. It’s easier than you might think. By law, funeral homes must give you a written price list itemizing each service they offer as soon as you ask about funeral arrangements. We shop around for other major purchases. Why not funerals?”

“Death isn’t contagious and talking about it won’t kill you anymore than talking about sex will make you pregnant,” Slocum says. “From talking to thousands of families over the years, I know it’s so much easier to have the conversation today than to leave it until the day someone close to you dies.”

· Know your rights—you may choose the funeral services and goods you want and can afford.

· Ask your family what will be meaningful—and what won’t be—to them when you die. There’s no sense in paying a lot for something solely because it’s “traditional.”

· Planning ahead is great, but paying ahead can be a trap. Unless you’re going on Medicaid, it’s wiser and safer to put your funeral money in a Pay-On-Death bank account designating someone you trust as the beneficiary. Don’t give the mortician your money while you’re above ground.

So this Labor Day, take the time to help your family keep some of those hard-earned dollars out of a hole in the ground and safe in their pockets. And while you celebrate the meaningful contributions of America’s labor force, start a conversation about your final wishes with the people you love.

Josh Slocum is available for interviews and welcomes any chance to help consumers learn how to shop before they drop. Slocum has appeared on 60 Minutes, NPR, and CNN.  The New York Times and magazines such as Forbes and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance have sought his advice. Funeral Consumers Alliance is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to protecting the rights of funeral consumers. For more information on this or other funeral issues, please visit funerals.org.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 21 August 2012 14:37 )  

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2012 Edition of 30 Funerals in 30 Days

2012 Edition of 30 Funerals in 30 Days Gail Rubin, Certified Celebrant

The third “30 Funerals in 30 Days Challenge” is coming soon. From mid-August to mid-September, Gail Rubin, The Doyenne of Death™, will attend a funeral a day and write about each on The Family Plot Blog.

The goals of the 30 Funerals in 30 Days Challenge are to:

1. Illustrate the many creative ways people celebrate the lives of those they love.

2. Help reduce a fear of talking about death – something that will happen to all of us.

3. Show that funerals are a life cycle event much like a wedding, best planned more than a few days ahead of time.

This year’s challenge focuses on the lives of baby boomers and how they are celebrated. During the 2011 Challenge, the last funeral Gail covered was for a woman her own age. The memorial service for Erika Langholf (who died at age 53) was so joyous and creative, Gail decided to document funeral services for people in their 50s and 60s – a group of people who generally do not yet plan to die.

Like the characters from the cult film Harold and Maude, Rubin will attend an Albuquerque-area funeral or memorial service daily. The services are selected based on public obituary notices in the local newspaper. Stories will be posted about each event every day at The Family Plot Blog.

Some highlights from the 2011 Challenge were a memorial luncheon in a bowling alley bar, a funeral for a Dallas Cowboys fan, a memorial service for a young TV news reporter, and a celebration of life for a hot air balloon pioneer. There was “My Big Fat Italian Funeral” home celebration of life, a service that featured a jazz quartet in a club, and a ceremony in a Japanese garden.

Among the most memorable services in 2010 were two pews of Red Hat Society ladies in full regalia, a Harley Davidson motorcycle in a funeral chapel, an artist’s remembrance that featured her favorite lemon meringue pie, an AA meeting-style remembrance for an addiction counselor, and a funeral for a fallen police officer.

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