Over the last 15 years, I have observed a dramatic shift in the U.S. funeral industry. The decline of the ‘traditional funeral’ and the rise of cremation services. Many in the industry responded to the changing trend towards cremation by treating it as a fad that would pass. But here we are now with a cremation rate of 55%, and a forecast that it will reach nearly 80% by 2035.
It is widely acknowledged that this trend has been influenced by a few factors. But the 2 most significant are cost and a move away from ‘traditional’ values. But with an ever-growing concern and awareness about our environmental responsibility, cremation may not be a long-term solution.
Returning to a more natural approach to death care
A green burial is almost a return to the ‘natural’ way that we buried our dead before funeral homes emerged and made death scientific and taboo. Families would wash their dead, lay them out in the parlor, have a wooden coffin made by the local carpenter (undertaker), and then proceed to bury their loved one in a family cemetery on their land, or a local town or church cemetery. There was minimal chemical intervention, and no grand selection of steel caskets.
So, a natural or green funeral is simply a burial without any embalming or unnatural containers, in a designated green area. To me, it seems a natural evolution of culture: the resistance to traditional values (especially among the baby boomer generation) shifting from simple cremation to simple burial. The value-shift from ‘no fuss’, simplicity and affordability…to take in the consciousness of environmental concerns.
There is also an emerging minority revival of the home funeral, whereby families (especially those having dealt with a loved one who is elderly or with a terminal illness) feel a need to be involved in the death care process.
Regeneration as a death value
‘Regeneration’ has become a metro buzzword in recent years. The notion of regenerating decaying areas and focusing on keeping investment local. Maybe this value will extend to natural burial services in the coming years? We only have to consider the choices.
More families are choosing simple cremation for its affordability and simplicity. But if a simple natural burial were available at the same cost and would enable families to feel that their loved one could be interred in a natural ‘space’ locally, would that be a preferable option?
Green meadow or hybrid cemetery?
With a shift toward green values, an increasing number of existing cemeteries have created designated green sections. These are known as ‘hybrid cemeteries’, as they still have traditional burial plots. This is how they are trying to respond and adapt to a demand for an alternative green option.
A truly natural cemetery is a conservation space. A natural meadow or woodland, where a person can be organically interred, but no artificial markers and objects detract from the natural organic space.
Legacy: Our children’s heritage
The planet is already struggling under the weight of the damage it has suffered. Millennials are the first generation to conscientiously make change and demand more eco-friendly products and services.
Green funerals are gaining attention as an increasingly environmentally friendly option in death care. Shifting our mindset to embrace greener, more natural death care alternatives could help position the industry for the wave of future funeral consumers and create a better legacy for future generations.
Human composting as an innovative approach to green burial
The state of Washington was the first to legalize human composting as a death-care disposition option for the general public. The law passed in May 2020, and since then, several companies have emerged to cater to this unique alternative option to cremation or a cemetery burial [traditional or natural].
Human composting refers to the “above-ground decomposition” of a human body. This involves placing the body in a receptacle with soil, leaves, and other organic materials so it can naturally decompose. It is similar to a process that is used for livestock.
The end result differs from a natural burial in that the soil (or compost) that remains after the decomposition can be returned to the family to be spread on a garden or to grow a tree. It takes about 4 weeks for the process to complete, producing 1 cubic yard of soil.
The cost for this process at present is estimated at $5,000. So it is not a cheap death-care alternative. But it may appeal to some who desire a form of ‘burial’ soil disposition but not a fixed burial location.
You can read about human composting, how it works, what it costs, and where it is currently legal at US Funerals Online in their Guide to Human Composting in the U.S.
Sara Marsden-Ille is the co-founder and editor of DFS Memorials as well as US Funerals Online. She has been writing about funeral planning, consumer rights, and cremation costs since 2003, when US Funerals Online launched — one of the first independent funeral consumer resources in the United States. Sara is responsible for editorial standards across the DFS Memorials network and helps to host the Cremation Nation podcast.
