What?

 Plan for environmentally sensitive final arrangements.

Why?

Have a funeral

 that reflects

 your values, and reduce expenses and planning headaches for

 your loved ones.

Wow!

Save resources. Keep toxic embalming chemical and resource-heavy caskets out

 of the ground. Leave an Earth-friendly example

 for others.

On his deathbed King Alfred the Great said, “I desire to leave to the men that come after me a remembrance of me in good works.” It’s a noble quote that raises this question: What do we as a society leave future generations when we bury our dead? Will our ancestors inherit a positive legacy?

Not through our current funereal habits. Each year in US cemeteries, we bury 827,060 gallons of embalming fluid, which includes formaldehyde, 180,544,000 pounds of steel, 5,400,000 pounds of copper and bronze and 30 million board feet of hardwoods, including tropical woods, according to Mary Woodsen, vice president of the Pre-Posthumous Society, an organization dedicated to bringing memorial nature preserves to New York state.

While most people don’t like to think of their own final arrangements, it’s possible to prepare for the inevitable. Planning ahead will not only remove a considerable burden from grieving relatives, it can give you peace of mind knowing you leave behind an Earth-friendly legacy.

A Grave Situation
Consider the land where you may be buried. When a new cemetery is created, the land is often cleared of existing vegetation, ruining the natural ecosystems and beauty of an area in exchange for a perfectly even, manicured lawn. Grounds crews maintain such a lawn with excessive water, pesticide, and fertilizer usage. The plot of land has a singular use, and visitors typically frequent the site only a couple times a year. The area will never be viable green space that supports naturally existing plant or animal life. Neither will it be a shared community area that supports both the land and its people like a park or reserve would.

As Woodsen recently told MSNBC.com, “Cemeteries turn beautiful places into a monoculture of gravestones—really, a landfill of embalmed chemical and cement. Then backhoes, lawnmowers, and tree pruners put diesel emissions into the air and pesticides and fertilizers into the water.”

The Hazards of Embalming
Embalming fluid, a chemical used to preserve the deceased, can contaminate the soil. It’s also highly toxic to the morticians who use it. According to the Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA), “embalmers are required by OSHA to wear a respirator and full-body covering while

embalming. Funeral home effluent, however, is not regulated, and waste is flushed into the common sewer system or septic tank.” In addition, the invasive nature of the embalming procedure may put the mortician at further risk should s/he come in contact with a blood-borne pathogen.

What few people may know is that embalming is unnecessary, and it’s rarely required by law. If immediate burial is not possible, refrigeration at a hospital can be used to safe-keep the body before the memorial service. In most instances, embalming is only mandatory when transporting a body out of state. Should you choose not to use embalming, you’ll not only preserve the environment, you’ll reduce expenses, a big consideration when you realize the process can make up at least 10 percent of the $5,000 an average funeral costs.

Embalming is also not a religious consideration. In fact, people of the Jewish and Muslim faiths often care for their own dead. In the Jewish society, families call upon a group of individuals called the Chevra Kadisha (Holy Society) to prepare the body for burial when a death occurs. According to David Zinner, the executive director of Kavod v’Nichum, an organization that provides education about traditional Jewish burial practices, the Chevra Kadisha dates back to at least the 1300s. The group performs a Tahara ritual, which “has remained fairly constant, but does vary from community to community,” says Zinner. A mortician never touches the body, and embalming is not performed. Instead, “with prayers and respect, the body is washed and purified with water, dried and dressed in burial garments,” then placed in a simple pine casket. 

The Tahara ritual can be performed in the home of the deceased, in a special building at the cemetery, or the morgue, but it’s usually carried out in a funeral home. Zinner says, “Most Chevra Kadisha groups are made of volunteers, but in some larger cities they may be funeral home employees.” The Tahara is a beautiful religious tradition that’s not only rich in community involvement; it’s less expensive and more environmentally friendly. While the Tahara ritual is strictly for people of the Jewish faith, other religions and secular groups practice and teach similar preparations for the deceased. Zinner suggests contacting your place of worship or local funeral homes to learn whether you can make similar arrangements.

Which Casket is Best?
One of the most expensive attributes of a funeral