Although death isn’t something that a lot of Midwest people like to talk about while drinking coffee with friends or eating dinners with family, it’s important to remember how essential it is to plan end-of-life care well ahead of time.
Maybe you’re thinking about yourself or an elderly parent, but the fact of the matter remains the same that planning ahead is always a great show of love from beyond the grave. And these days, people are choosing green burials far more often in comparison to traditional funerals.
But what exactly are green burials? We’ve teamed up with the green burial yellow springs oh specialists at Jackson, Lytle & Lewis to explore the answer to this question—and explain why green burials have grown in popularity throughout our region.
So, check out the below sections to see why green burials are a great option for you or your loved one’s end-of-life care!
What Exactly Is A Green Burial?
Green burials have become a popular option throughout the Midwest in recent years, and this has a lot to do with people seeking out funeral options that reflect the sustainable choices they made while alive.
Green burials are defined as burials that conserve natural resources and reduce environmental impacts. The sustainability associated with green burials has a lot to do with minimizing the usage of toxic materials, because one hallmark of a green burial is solely using biodegradable and non-toxic materials.
There’s no denying how eco-conscious people have flocked toward choosing green burials throughout recent years, and this is in direct opposition to traditional funerals that use harmful products like formaldehyde and other embalming fluids.
This is a huge transition for the death care industry, and green burials are giving individuals and families more peace of mind in knowing that their burial services aren’t impacting the environment as badly as a traditional service would!
Common Benefits of Green Burials
There are several common benefits of green burials that you should know about, including:
- More Affordable: Traditional burials generally cost around $7,000-$13,000+, so they’re incredibly expensive and often unaffordable for many Midwest families. Traditional burials also include memorial and funeral services, which is just a small part of why they tend to be so pricey. Green burials on the other hand only cost around $3,000-$5,000, and this is because these services don’t require expensive services like embalming and costly materials like a casket.
- Biodegradable Burial Products: Conventional burial products are typically made from natural resources, which often means that they’re not biodegradable. But with a green burial, there’s no need for building a casket that’s made from things like metal and exotic trees. Green burials also don’t use plastic liners or concrete burial vaults, which almost never decompose. This makes green burials a much eco-friendlier death care option.
- Less Toxic Chemicals: A lot of people don’t realize this, but conventional burial chemicals are harmful to both the funeral home workers and the cemetery’s nearby ecosystem. Most cemeteries also utilize fertilizers and pesticides to maintain burial grounds, which increases each burial’s overall pollution. This isn’t an issue with green burials, because little to no toxic chemicals are used during these funeral procedures.
- Promotes Land Conservation: Conventional cemeteries don’t do the best job of protecting natural habitats and conserving land; however, green burials usually take place in areas that have been carefully maintained and preserved.
Popular Green Burial Options
There are several green burial options available to Midwest families and people who live in small cities like Yellow Springs OH, but it’s important to remember that costs will vary depending on which option you choose.
Below are some of the most popular green burial options to keep in mind:
Cremation
This is probably the most popular green burial option in today’s industry, and it’s a great choice for families who’d like to keep their loved one’s ashes.
Many people will collect a decedent’s ashes and create a ceremony around spreading the ashes in a special place. Memorial forests are also growing in popularity, and this involves buying a tree that’ll be your loved one’s final resting place.
It’s also common for people to place their loved one’s ashes in an urn, and it’s also possible to transform ashes into things like jewelry as well.
One thing to keep in mind regarding cremation services is that they do entail carbon emissions; however, these emissions are still far less in comparison to traditional funerals.
Aquamation
This is a relatively new green burial option, and it essentially is like a water cremation. Like cremation, the aquamation process turns an individual’s body into ashes; however, it uses potassium hydroxide and water instead of intense heat.
Aquamation costs are usually around $2,000-$3,000 and it’s a good option that uses less emissions than traditional cremation. One thing to keep in mind regrading aquamation is that it’s not available in all 50 states just yet.
Green Cemetery
Another relatively new green burial option is referred to as green burial cemeteries. Although these cemeteries aren’t an option in all 50 states, the main distinction between these cemeteries and traditional cemeteries is that green cemeteries use biodegradable caskets or shrouds.
Green cemeteries are also known for offering more natural surroundings than traditional cemeteries, and this goes a long way to allow nature to exist more wildly.
Many people say that green cemeteries feel like a nature preserve.
Contact Jackson Lytle & Lewis To Learn More About Green Burial Services In Yellow Springs OH
Green burials are growing in popularity throughout the Midwest and beyond for a reason, and the above sections are just a quick glimpse into why families and individuals are foregoing traditional cemeteries and funeral services for more eco-friendly alternatives.
One of the top-rated green burial providers in the Midwest is Jackson, Lytle & Lewis—and you can speak with their industry specialists today to learn more about green burial options when you click on the link to their website that’s located at the top of this page.
