Green Burials in the News
by Mortuary Transport Expert ~ June 23rd, 2009. Filed under: Death In The News.This article is just another reminder that there are more opportunities in the body removal business than just time of death transportation.
The creative mortuary transport business owner will find ways to encourage families and funeral business owners to use their services for transporting green burials. Since you can ethically charge the same as the original removal or more, you can actually multiply your income on each death, which makes it not so imperative to create more volume.
Quality over quantity is the name of this game. Make your business the preferred transportation because of your attention to detail and the professionalism of your staff.
From a transportation perspective, green burials can be much easier than traditional burials, since you don’t have the bulk and weight of a standard wood or metal casket.
Think about offering your services for green burials, and put the money you spend on equipment (like church trucks, etc.) to use in creative ways to make a more meaningful experience for the families. It’s a win/win for the funeral business if you invest in these things, and you are to go-to person for these kind of jobs.
Green to the end
Ecofriendly funerals are an option but slow to catch on
Lancaster New Era
Published: Jun 23, 2009
10:34 ESTBy MARY BETH SCHWEIGERT, Staff Writer
Going green has gone underground — and all the way to the grave.
Funeral director Charles “Chad” F. Snyder III says the idea of a green burial attracts the most interest from environmentally conscious baby boomers. “This is obviously not for everyone,” he says. “It’s for a very small percentage of people.”
* In a green burial, which uses a biodegradable, metal-free casket and no vault, everything – including the deceased – eventually becomes one with the earth.
“Green” burials are designed to reduce waste and environmental impact, by foregoing metal caskets, embalming and vaults.
The idea is picking up steam in other areas, particularly the West Coast, but it’s slower to catch on in Lancaster County, where many families prefer more traditional farewells.
At Bachman Funeral Home Inc., Strasburg, funeral director John Bachman says people are curious about green burials, but he hasn’t accommodated any actual takers.
“People ask about it, but they don’t ask for it,” he says.
Traditionally caskets and surrounding vaults are designed to withstand the elements, leaving tons of metal and concrete behind in the ground.
And there is some concern about the potential impact of embalming chemicals.
But in a green burial, which uses a biodegradable, metal-free casket and no vault, everything — including the deceased — eventually becomes one with the earth.
Charles “Chad” F. Snyder III, general manager of Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home & Chapel Inc., Lititz, says the idea of a green burial attracts the most interest from environmentally conscious baby boomers.
“This is obviously not for everyone,” he says. “It’s for a very small percentage of people.”
For some families, there’s another appeal: Green burials can actually cost less than a traditional approach, which averages $7,323, according to the National Funeral Directors Association.
Though many Lancaster County funeral directors will work with families who want to go green, there are roadblocks to green burials here.
The lack of embalming means an open-casket viewing — many families’ custom — is not allowed. And nearly all local cemeteries require vaults, to make maintenance easier.
“If you went out and asked if people think (green burials) are a good idea, most people would probably say yes,” says Mark DeBord, president of Kearney A. Snyder Funeral Home Inc., 141 E. Orange St., Lancaster.
“Whether it’s something they would choose to do, I’m not sure.”Back to the Past
Green burials mark a return to some old ideas, particularly the practices of certain religious or ethnic groups.
“Green burial, in many ways, is not new. It’s how most of the world has cared for its dead for thousands of years,” says Joe Sehee, executive director of the nonprofit Green Burial Council, which has a national network of funeral homes committed to offering green products and services.
While embalming and vaults are traditional for many local families, they are not legally required. (Embalming, however, is required for an open-casket viewing.)
Embalming, which disinfects and preserves the deceased’s body, became common in the United States only around the Civil War.
Vaults, typically made of concrete, surround a casket, keeping out water and insects. Their popularity grew in the late 19th century, primarily to discourage grave robbers.
Caskets promote convenience and a dignified presentation, but they are not legally required.Why Go Green
Critics, like the 4-year-old, Santa Fe., N.M.-based Green Burial Council, say current burial practices are wasteful and damaging to the environment.
Each year, the GBC says, the United States buries tons of reinforced concrete, steel and hardwood board, all of which require energy to manufacture and transport.
Embalming fluid contains formaldehyde, labeled a “probable human carcinogen” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Critics cite potential danger to funeral-industry workers. But funeral directors say they wear gowns, masks and gloves, and use sophisticated ventilation systems when working with embalming fluid.
Suggested links between formaldehyde exposure and cancer have not been proven, says Holli Senior, spokeswoman for the state Health Department.
The durability of traditional caskets and vaults makes it unlikely that formaldehyde from an embalmed body could seep into the ground, Snyder says.
Cremation — rates have doubled in the last five years — is “green” in that it conserves space.
But it consumes fossil fuels, particularly when older facilities are used. Whether any emissions could potentially harm people or the environment is widely debated.
The industry is working to develop greener cremation processes, Snyder funeral director Andrew D. Dieck says.
“As for true green cremation, it doesn’t exist in Pennsylvania yet.”Eco-friendly Options
Unlike their traditional counterparts, green caskets use no metal and are designed to biodegrade without waste.
They may be made of renewable hardwoods, and are held together with wooden pegs and a nontoxic, biodegradable glue.
“What’s natural about it is there will be no waste at all,” Dieck says. “There’s nothing left behind to impact the earth negatively.”
Snyder, the only local funeral home in the GBC’s network of providers, also sells a line of caskets made from willow, seagrass or bamboo.
The caskets are comparable or even less-expensive than the average metal model, which costs $2,255, according to NAFD. Foregoing a vault and embalming would save an average of $1,678.
A new, nontoxic embalming fluid could be used with biodegradable caskets, without worry that it could negatively impact the environment, Snyder says.
Families who don’t want to go all out can choose smaller ways to go green.
Cremation urns can be biodegradable. Prayer cards and registers can be made from recycled paper.
And families can skip flowers or choose to transport the deceased’s body in a more fuel-efficient minivan.A Tough Sell
Green burials can be a particularly tough sell for families of certain religious traditions, and those who are used to an open-casket viewing.
“This is too far outside the box for them,” Snyder says.
State law and Occupational Health and Safety Administration regulations prohibit open-casket viewing of an unembalmed body, he says. Refrigeration may be used instead, and the family can have a closed-casket visitation.
Any fears of unembalmed bodies transmitting disease are unfounded, Senior says. Pathogens, particularly viruses, do not survive for long after a person dies, she says.
Individual cemeteries decide whether or not to require vaults. Without a vault, graves may shift over time, displacing headstones and creating uneven surfaces.
Mellinger Mennonite Cemetery, 11 Greenfield Road, Lancaster, is one of the few local cemeteries (not including Jewish or Amish) that doesn’t require vaults.
“Fifty, maybe 60, percent of my burials do not use vaults,” caretaker Noah Zimmerman says.
A few families have mentioned environmental concerns, but he suspects that many forego vaults to save money.
Plots without vaults require a bit more effort to maintain, Zimmerman says. But he is committed to following families’ wishes, even if it means simply wrapping the deceased in a sheet for burial.
“The first heavy rain, their loved one will be more than likely wet,” Zimmerman says. “It’s fine with me if it’s fine with you.”Going Green in Mount Joy
A handful of green cemeteries have opened nationwide, and one is proposed near Pittsburgh.
The park-like cemeteries typically have engraved rocks or plaques, instead of tombstones. Graves are unadorned with artificial flowers, flags or candles.
Steve Rice, who runs the Mount Joy Cemetery, hopes to open an adjacent green section by next spring.
Rice says his plan has drawn a lot of interest, including from people in other states.
“Eighty percent think it’s really neat,” he says. ” … Other people don’t like it.”
Rice envisions a meadow with tail grasses, wildflowers, memorial plantings and perhaps even a stream.
He plans to offer families simple pine-box caskets, as well as cardboard models that cost just $75.
The deceased can also simply be wrapped in a shroud, blanket or nothing at all. Simple pins will mark graves.
The main cemetery, which dates to the 1700s, is approaching capacity, Rice says.
“When the rest of it’s full, we’re going to have to go green.”
June 24th, 2009 at 6:54 am
In the article above Mary Beth writes that embalming is required for viewing a body. In Texas, embalming is not required by law for viewing a body. However, it may be the funeral home’s policy to have embalming…. but it is not a legal requirement. I think this creates confusion with consumers when they are told something is ‘required’, when it is really only a business policy.
July 6th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
I agree with Donna.
The myth that dead bodies spread disease causes a lot of hardship for everyone, especially people that believe embalming is a desecration of the body and then are denied viewing.
Mortuary workers and handlers need to practice basic hygiene, as this article suggests: http://www.paho.org/english/dd/pin/Number21_article01.htm
But the main way disease is spread – through body fluids – almost ceases when folks stop breathing. Apparently the rules about viewing were made either prior to the science or they ignored the science.
BTW – I think that mortuary transport services can be very helpful to families, especially those that are planning home funerals. With the advent of hospice and more people passing at home, having home visitations and wakes should become more common, with the body taken directly to the crematorium or the cemetery.
In fact, now that I think of it — we have some wonderful wicker coffins that look just like the old removals baskets from a long time ago! They’d be tricky around the corners but they sure would soften the look of a body bag!