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SAN MARCOS PUBLIC LIBRARY 625 E. HOPKINS ST. 512-393-8200

Q. What is a green burial?

A. According to the Green Burial Council, a green burial is “a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health and the restoration and/or preservation of habitat.” (greenburialcouncil.org/)

Green (natural) burial emphasizes simplicity and environmental sustainability. The body is neither cremated nor prepared with chemicals such as embalming fluids. It is simply placed in a biodegradable coffin or shroud and interred without a concrete burial vault. The grave site is allowed to return to nature. The goal is complete decomposition of the body and its natural return to the soil. Only then can a burial truly be “ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” a phrase so often used when be bury our dead. (Green Burial, an environmentally friendly choice. Funeral Consumers Alliance. (2020, December 17 Retrieved Oct. 5, from funerals. org/?consumers=greenburial.) This is a legal and natural method of honoring our dead.

What are some of the reasons people choose to “go green” when making end of life decisions? For some people, it’s the environmental impact that sways them to consider green burial. Some of these impacts are outlined below:

American funerals are responsible each year for the felling of 30 million board-feet of casket wood (some of which comes from tropical hardwoods), 90,000 tons of steel, 1.6 million tons of concrete for burial vaults and 800,000 gallons of embalming fluid. Even cremation is an environmental horror story, with the incineration process emitting many a noxious substance, including dioxin, hydrochloric acid, sulfur dioxide and climate-changing carbon dioxide. (“Green Burial. The Order of the Good Death.” (n.d.). Retrieved Oct. 5, from orderofthegooddeath.com/resources/natural-burial#1.)

Some people consider the cost of a traditional burial versus a green burial when deciding their end-of-life choices. The cost is greatly reduced because of the lack of a “traditional” and often very expensive casket, headstone, vault, etc. People may opt out of a casket all together and simply use a burial shroud which further reduces funeral costs. While cremation has environmental implications, it is still often less expensive than a green burial as there is a cost of burial plot.

The library has several books that address green burials:

“Grave Matters: A Journey through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial,” by Mark Harris

“Greening Death: Reclaiming Burial Practices and Restoring our Tie to the Earth,” by Suzanne Kelly

“Reimagining Death: Stories and Practical Wisdom for Home Funerals and Green Burials,” by Lucinda Herring

Here is an informative article from the New York Times:

Vatomsky, S. (2018, March 22). “Thinking about having a ‘green’ funeral? Here's what to know.” The New York Times. Retrieved Oct. 5, fromnytimes.com/2018/03/22/smarter-living/green-funeral-burial-environment.html. As a member of the

As a member of the San Marcos Public Library, you can access the complete New York Times online. The access code for the library’s digital subscription provides ongoing access to NYTimes.com from any computer or device, as well as access to apps on portable devices. Email the library at smpl@ sanmarcostx.gov for the free access code or call us at 512-393-8200.

Suzanne Sanders is the new columnist for the library. She is the Community Services Manager for the San Marcos Public Library and came from the Austin Public Library in 2015 after having served there as a librarian for over 20 years. She gratefully accepts your questions for this column.