Green Funerals – Approaching Funerals with an Eco-Conscience

For those who have lived a life dedicated to environmental responsibility, home funerals and green burials are attractive. Some ideas to include:

• bathing the body using warm water and essential oils, such as lavender, instead of disinfecting chemicals

• keeping or bringing the body home for any legal mandatory waiting periods (NH requires a 48-hour period between death and cremation) or visitation period to be kept cool with ice instead of refrigeration units
• dry ice, Techni-ice, air conditioning, fans, open windows in winter — cool rooms to cool the body instead of embalming chemicals or invasive procedures
• transporting the body to the crematory or cemetery in a home vehicle instead of a hearse, limousine, or service vehicle
• using locally grown flowers rather than hothouse or imported flowers
• personalized, locally-sourced caskets and urns made from native materials by local artists and craftspeople
• imported caskets made from renewable resources such as bamboo or willow, unless the carbon footprint in getting it delivered is prohibitive
• shrouds made of biodegradable materials, such as cotton, muslin, or linen
• hand-dug graves rather than using heavy machinery; green cemeteries require less depth, so less digging
• not using cement, plastic, or metal outer burial vaults

• grave markers made of native stone or other locally-sources materials

• ask your funeral director if he or she is Green Burial Council or NFDA Green Funeral Practices certified​