Alternative-burial options grow; state still traditional

This bio-urn is made of recycled cotton and 12 perennial wild-flower seeds.
This bio-urn is made of recycled cotton and 12 perennial wild-flower seeds.

Ecofriendly burial and cremation alternatives are creating a way to continue life after death.

Natural or green burial is a nontraditional and earth friendly option that uses biodegradable shrouds, caskets and coffins. Because embalming and nontoxic embalming methods are not used, the body breaks down faster and the entire process is more ecologically sound, said Joe Sehee of Australia, founder of the Green Burial Council, an international organization based in Ojai, Calif.

“There is a movement nationally for green burials and cremation,” Sehee said. “Right now, we are engaging the industry to help retrain it, and we are acting as stewards of this movement.”

Arkansas does not have any certified “green” cemeteries, but Vickie Kelley wants to change that by creating a natural burial conservation cemetery at Fayetteville atop Robinson Mountain.

“I want to open the first conservation cemetery in Northwest Arkansas, which would be protected from development,” Kelley said. “Regular burial has a huge detrimental impact on the planet. Mostly, regular cemeteries are not the best use of green space - trees have to go and the area cannot be used for anything else.”

Creating a natural burial park would make use of the “green space” for nature hikes, celebrations, music and rituals. It would not have any headstones but would allow use of natural markers with GPS locators, she said.

There are more than 50 green cemeteries spread across 31 states. To be labeled green requires certification by the Green Burial Council, which has three designations:

Hybrid - Vault-free spaces offered in traditional cemeteries.

Natural - Uses nontoxic products, vault-free spaces and natural or plant-derived caskets or coffins.

Conservation - Meets all the requirements of a natural burial ground, but the land is designated for conservation and does not have any upright grave markers.

“They need to blend in [with the environment]; this way cemeteries can function as a natural habitat because it is a conservation burial ground,” Sehee said. “There are more stringent requirements for ecological use, but the purpose is that the burial will never deteriorate the ecosystem.”

Kelley’s “dream” green cemetery would also be used for celebrations. She is currently raising money to buy the Robinson Mountain property, which has an observatory.

“I see this place as the most spiritual and unique way to process grief - by looking to the heavens - to release us back to stardust,” she said.

ASHES TO ASHES

Although cremation is not necessarily the greenest option, it is generally a cheaper alternative. And ashes aren’t just left in urns or scattered into the sea.

“There are just so many different options to bury, scatter or keep,” said Craig Johnson of Little Rock, director of Cremations Arkansas.

A person’s ashes can be placed in a biodegradable urn that contains a tree sapling or wildflower seeds. The remains can be molded into a coral reef, compressed into diamonds or jewels, made into blown-glass art pieces or jewelry, or they can be placed in salt urns, which dissolve into water.

“When it comes down to economics, the cost of burial is high and there are many more options with cremation,” Johnson said.

Nelson Funeral Services Inc. in Berryville offers several options. Its top seller is a biodegradable urn that can be buried to grow into a tree, said office manager Jenny Morris.

The Green Burial Council certifies many of the options, including Eternal Reefs. Ashes are molded with concrete to create a reef that is sent into the sea, and it includes a plaque that provides the longitude and latitude so it can be found again. Nelson Funeral Services has offered Eternal Reefs for five years, but it still hasn’t sold one.

Johnson said he has seen the number of cremations increase in recent years.

“Cremation has always been around, but Arkansas is steeped with traditional burials,” he said. “But, the more educated someone is [regarding options], the more they tend to go in that direction.”

When Kelley lost her son in 1999, she had him cremated despite opposition from family members.

“My family was horrified, but I was hearing that it was more environmentally conscious to move toward cremation,” she said.

Later, she learned of natural burials.

“I always thought if I die, cremate me and put my ashes into an Etch A Sketch, but as I looked more into cremation I realized it had a huge carbon footprint,” she said. “It uses a lot of heat and energy, and you take all the nutrients out of your body that the earth could use and turn it into air pollution; that’s when I had a huge change of thought about cremation.”

And that’s when she began focusing her energy on creating a coalition for green burial.

“I think regular cemeteries are too chemically dependent. The formaldehyde-embalming process is not safe for the environment,” Kelley said.

There are alternatives to embalming, but Arkansas law requires the deceased to be embalmed within 24 hours of death or stored in refrigeration as determined by the state.

“By rule, the [Arkansas Board of Health] does allow 48 hours if cremation is desired,” said Amy Goode, a representative for the Arkansas Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors.

Although cremation has been around for centuries, burial is still the most common form of disposition. About 35 percent of deceased people in Arkansas are cremated, Johnson said.

“Cremations still have a ways to go before it gets picked up in Arkansas,” he said.

“People need assurance that they’re doing the right thing - we’re talking about people’s last acts, which are associated with their legacy,” Sehee said. “All of these options connect death with life, which provides people with solace.”

Business, Pages 69 on 04/20/2014

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