Green burial is the act of returning a body as naturally as possible to the earth. Green burials use less energy and resources, making them lower impact than conventional burials or cremation. They are also less toxic, reduce carbon emissions, and protect worker health. Certain types of green burial can even restore or preserve habitat.
For all of these reasons, and more, the Green Burial Nova Scotia is working to raise awareness and accessibility of green burial options in our province.
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Throughout most of human history, families and religious communities have cared for their own dead. Historically, most funerals involved burial of an un-embalmed body in a simple box or shroud. Today, this is known as a green burial.
There are a range of green burial options. The body is not cremated, embalmed, nor buried in a concrete grave vault. Without formaldehyde to preserve the body, toxic chemicals are avoided, reducing harmful exposure both to nature and the embalmer. Instead, bodies are wrapped in biodegradable materials. At the burial site, headstones are usually not used; instead, a native planting marks the body’s location, contributing to wildlife habitat and ecosystem restoration.
A conservation burial goes a step further, conserving and restoring native ecosystems through careful planting and a return to green burial methods which bears little resemblance to a conventional cemetery site.
Green and conservation burials are enjoying a resurgence in popularity for a number of reasons:
Lower Carbon Footprint: It’s estimated a single cremation uses as much energy as an 800 kilometer car trip (the distance of driving from Halifax to Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec). Crematorium furnaces combust at very high temperatures using large amounts of fossil fuels. The process also releases dioxin, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, mercury, and other heavy metals into the atmosphere.
Lower cost: Because of the simplicity of the green burial process and minimal maintenance of the burial grounds, the costs of green burials are often lower than conventional burials. Green burials do not involve embalming, fancy caskets, or concrete vaults. They may lower the cost of burial by thousands of dollars.
Conserving green resources: A typical cemetery buries 4,500 litres of formaldehyde-based embalming fluid, 97 tonnes of steel, 2,000 tonnes of concrete and 56,000 board feet of tropical hardwood in every acre of space (source). These natural and human-made resources are all spared if a person chooses a greener burial.
Eliminating hazardous chemicals: Embalming fluid contains formaldehyde, a respiratory irritant, and known carcinogen. In Canada, about 2.2 million gallons of embalming fluid are used every year, and funeral home workers are exposed to it routinely.
Preserving green areas: Green burial sites restore or preserve a green landscape populated by native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers; the sites offer food and refuge to birds and other wildlife. Green cemeteries do not use fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. A green cemetery can be an important component in the acquisition and conservation of native habitats. Permanent conservation of the land with a certified land trust is possible (called a conservation burial ground).
Simplicity: The idea of wrapping the body in a shroud or placing it in a plain, unadorned coffin appeals to those who prefer their burial arrangements to be simple and green. Green burial allows for the green and rapid decomposition of the body and recycling directly back to the soil.
“It is death that goes down to the centre of the earth, the great burial church the earth is, and then to the curved ends of the universe, as light is said to do.” -Harold Brodkey
The environmental benefits of green burial:
Green burials are not new. Most burials before the mid-19th century were conducted this way, as are many Jewish and Muslim burials today. The grounds of a conservation site remain forever natural and wild, with trails and paths connecting the burial grounds, open to the families and friends of the loved ones buried there. It is a place of simple, natural beauty and tranquillity, unmarred by raised markers, headstones or artificial monuments.
If you think cremation reduces your carbon footprint, think again: it’s estimated a single cremation uses 92 cubic metres of natural gas – enough to supply the average Canadian home for 12.5 days – and releases 0.8 to 5.9 grams of mercury.
A note about Cremation
Cremation has become a common alternative to burial. However, cremation is not without an impact on the environment. Crematorium furnaces combust at very high temperatures using large amounts of fossil fuels. Cremation releases dioxin, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, mercury, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride and other heavy metals into the atmosphere: significant carbon footprint attracting a carbon tax.
While cremains are composed of nutrients that plants require, primarily calcium, potassium, and phosphorus, human ashes also contain an extremely high amount of salt, which is toxic for most plants and can be leached into the soil. This nutritional imbalance may actually hinder plant growth.
Conventional burials have an impact on the planet.
- Every year, tens of millions of funeral and burial dollars are going up in polluting smoke or in the ground in rare wood caskets that could be invested in creating new forests.
- Embalming delays decomposition by displacing blood with formaldehyde that preserves the body, but is toxic and harmful both to the embalmer and in the ground where it is interred.
- Cemeteries often use cement vaults to prevent caskets shifting in the ground as they settle in densely packed cemeteries.
- Cremation is responsible for the release of emissions including greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide as well as mercury and other heavy metals. The enormous amount of energy required to burn up a body is wasteful.
Go gently on the environment.
- A green burial is the return of a body to the earth as simply as possible. Bodies are not embalmed, but wrapped in a biodegradable shroud or placed in a simple casket and buried in protected green space.
- It’s a way of combining an eco-friendly interment with land conservation.
- Low impact green burials reduce energy and resource consumption, are less toxic, conserve water, and use only local sustainable materials.
- Our bodies, returned to the soil, through decomposition, will help create new life. The nutrients help to feed the commemorative native trees or shrubs, which in turn create a new forest or parkland. Nature lovers can rest in nature and know that in their death, they have helped to create an ecological oasis.
What counts as “green”?
A green burial is the act of returning a body as naturally as possible to the earth. To achieve this, the body not be embalmed or cremated, but instead buried in a simple casket or shroud, in a protected green space. Making the choice for green burial means you are choosing a low impact burial. It is a choice that reduces energy and resource consumption, and one that is less toxic. In addition, it ensures the land cannot be used for any other purpose. Thus, green burials can protect and conserve these wild spaces.
Are there headstones?
Many choose not to have any marker at all, but some prefer a marker, to memorialize the deceased. Natural Burial grounds only contain green markers that don’t intrude on the landscape. These green markers can include shrubs and trees, or a flat indigenous stone, which may be engraved. As in all cemeteries, there are careful records kept of every interment, and mapped with a GIS (geographic information system).
What does it cost?
A green burial is usually a less expensive option than a conventional burial. What makes a green burial different from a financial perspective, is that the costs are better allocated, with money carrying on the legacy of the deceased by protecting green space instead of the markup on expensive, unnecessary materials and procedures. Cremation is typically a cheaper option, but all of the environmental costs are not factored in.
Is it dangerous?
One of the important components of the government’s standards is an environmental assessment which will determine the suitability of any proposed site, and an official environmental determination of the capacity of the green cemetery.
Can I still be embalmed?
Because embalming significantly retards the green process of decomposition and because it introduces a variety of toxic chemicals into the cemetery, embalming is not compatible with a green cemetery. In addition, embalming has adverse consequences for the embalmer, who is exposed to noxious chemicals. There are environmentally friendlier alternatives to embalming with formaldehyde (a known carcinogen), however, these alternative chemicals still are toxic to the environment and may not be accepted in green burial sites. There are many alternative methods of preservation in order to carry out a ceremony. You may find more information here.
Is green burial legal?
Yes. Most of what may be mistaken as law are either rules of individual cemeteries or common practices assumed to be legal requirements. There is no law that a burial vault must be used, but many cemeteries require them for ease of lawn maintenance and closer spacing of graves. Embalming is only required under rare circumstances such as death from cholera.
Will animals disturb the gravesites?
No. Green burial is one of the oldest methods for eliminating the odours from decomposing organic materials. It has been shown that only 12 inches of soil is needed to prevent animals from digging into graves.
Will a green burial cemetery hurt water quality?
No. Because green cemeteries don’t have the run-off of fertilizers, spilt fuels or toxins, green burial land produces cleaner water than urban, suburban, or agricultural areas. The soil is a remarkably good filter. Products of decomposition are contained and don’t leak into the water table. This is not the case with conventional cemeteries since burial vaults have drains, they do not retain toxic materials, such as formaldehyde, which flow out of the cemetery and into the watershed.
What are home funerals and home burials?
Home funerals, which allow for families to care for a decedent and all aspects of a funeral at home, were quite common in the US up until the mid-20th century. A family can facilitate a home funeral in almost every state, or do it with the assistance of a licensed funeral director. Most all GBC-approved funeral homes accommodate families wanting home funerals.
A home burial, on the other hand, is an alternative to disposition in a cemetery. It’s allowed by almost all counties, but most require a minimum number of acres and often the filing of a plat map with the planning department.
How do I create my own ground?
Cemeteries are provincially legislated in Canada, so you can start by reviewing the requirements online. Cemeteries are typically zoned as industrial use, so the property you are considering will need to have the proper zoning. Changes to zoning can be challenging, so speak to your area’s planning department early in the process. Please let us know about your efforts, as we may be able to link you up with others who are interested in supporting the cause locally.
Can burial plots be recycled?
Currently, only British Colombia offers fixed term leases on burial plots. In all other provinces, including Nova Scotia, a burial site is ‘forever’.
Types of Green Burial Grounds
- Hybrid Burial Ground, which is a conventional cemetery that allows for burial without an outer burial container (burial vault or grave liner) and allows for burial in any type of container, including a shroud.
- Green Burial Ground, which is a setting that prohibits outer burial containers (burial vaults and grave liners), prohibits the burial of bodies embalmed with toxic chemicals and prohibits burial containers made of anything other than green or plant-derived materials. In addition, Green Burial Grounds must have a pesticide-free Integrated Pest Management system, which means that pests are controlled using green and environmental practices that maintain the green ecology and landscape, rather than using chemicals that may harm the ecology and the landscape.
- Conservation Burial Ground, which has the strictest standards of the three burial grounds. In addition to meeting the requirements of the Green Burial Ground, a Conservation Burial Ground “must involve an established conservation organization that holds a conservation easement or has in place a deed restriction guaranteeing long-term stewardship” and “be owned by, or operated in conjunction with a government agency or a nonprofit conservation organization.”
What we can recommend:
- Approach cemeteries in your area saying you are interested in green burial and learn if there are any options which are allowed by their by-laws (or rules of the cemetery) to be more environmentally conscious. Some cemeteries, for instance, require vaults to be interred on their cemetery property, others require headstones, etc.
- Approach funeral homes in your area as well. Pre-planning is one way to not only ensure that your loved ones know what kind of care you would like upon your passing but as well get the word out to the funeral service industry that there is demand for green burial. Funeral homes cater to the consumer’s needs and so saying what you would specifically like to happen will open up areas for discussion to make your disposition more environmentally friendly. Options may include your casket/shroud selection, no stationary or the use of recycled paper instead, no embalming or asking about greener embalming solutions, etc. all varying on you and your family’s needs.
- Consider donating land to green burial for conservation, or aid in the avocation for green burial in your province. This could simply include discussing green burial with friends and family or actively persuading local cemeteries to become more conscious of their impact on the environment.
The more people want a green burial, the more it will become available.
“All the deaths of all living things feed life; what does our death feed?
All of life’s deaths means that life continues; what does our death mean?”
-from Die Wise by Stephen Jenkinson
Green burial in Nova Scotia:
How-to Guide for Green Burial Nova Scotia (click to download PDF)
Green burials are growing in popularity worldwide, but the options in Nova Scotia are still limited. Here are five ways you can plan a greener burial in Nova Scotia:
- Approach cemeteries in your area saying you are interested in green burial and learn if there are any options which are allowed by their by-laws (or rules of the cemetery) to be more environmentally conscious. Some cemeteries, for instance, require vaults to be interred on their cemetery property, others require headstones, etc.
- Approach funeral homes in your area and let them know that there is a demand for green burial. They may have greener options for casket or shroud selection, paperless or the use of recycled paper at memorial services, no embalming, and more.
- Consider donating land to green burial for conservation, or aid in the avocation for green burial in your community.
- Help protect the environment for future generations by including a gift in your will to an environmental organization. This generous commitment supports environmental protection beyond your lifetime, and the gift you choose can also bring significant tax benefits to you now and in the future.
- While there are currently no conservation burial sites in Nova Scotia, there are a few hybrid cemeteries, which offer green options. Here are the ones we know of to-date:
- Sunrise Park Inter-Faith Cemetery, 2025 Prospect Rd, Hatchet Lake, (902)-852-4944 – GBSC certified
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Lower Sackville, (902)-425-6922
- The Burlington Kings County Cemetery Society, Barley Street, Burlington, (902)-538-3387
Learn More:
- Green Burial Society of Canada: a detailed resource on green burial options in Canada, and information on approved green burial provider status.
- Talk Death – Green Burial in Canada: a detailed listing of green burial options in Canada.
- Death Matters – Green Burials
- Learn more about our Legacy Giving program here.
- A Burial Practice that Nourishes the Planet
- A Green Goodbye
- Eco-Death Takeover
- Green Burial Council
- Green Burial and Decomposing Bodies #Talkdeath
Questions? Want to get involved? Email GBNS at deathmattersns@nullgmail.com.
Sign up for the Green Burial Nova Scotia occasional newsletter or to volunteer here.
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Green Burial Nova Scotia…. November, 2018
- a radio conversation with Sheldon MacLeod
- Ecology Action Centre web page
- newspaper coverage in The Star Halifax
- our youtube video
- Global TV conversation (at about 5:05)