Living in the remote Methow Valley, we’re accustomed to not having a wide array of services available to us. For the time being, that extends to natural burial options. So what to do if you’d like to be buried close to home, but want to do so as naturally as possible?
These ideas can help make a conventional burial greener.
Avoid Embalming
One option for making a conventional burial greener is to do away with embalming. This typically means you need to burial the individual within a few days, and/or that you might not have an open casket service.
The formaldehyde used in embalming is known to cause cancer — not a problem for the deceased, but definitely a problem for the funeral workers caring for the body. It’s also not good for the earth, and in the U.S. alone we bury over 4 million gallons of it per year.
There are also newer, more eco-friendly embalming fluids on the market made from essential plant oils. Ask your funeral provider whether they use these.
Rethink the Casket
Many cemeteries — including the Beaver Creek Cemetery in Twisp and the Sullivan Cemetery in Winthrop — allow alternatives to a conventional casket. This can include wicker, hemp, or plain wood caskets, or no casket at all — sometimes a simple shroud around the body is acceptable.
Choosing a greener casket option will prevent the single use of materials like hardwood and steel.
Ditch the Vault
Many cemeteries require vaults, which are sealed concrete or plastic chambers that contain the casket underground. Vaults serve two purposes: 1) to keep the ground level, and 2) to allow for placing graves closely together — you don’t want the adjacent grave to collapse inward when you dig a new one. (Some funeral directors will also tell you that 3) it’s to protect the casket and body, but these measures do nothing to prevent the eventual decomposition of the body.)
There is an alternative to the vault, however: a concrete liner is acceptable in some cemeteries. A liner is a concrete box that’s either completely open on the bottom or has holes on the bottom that allow drainage. Some cemeteries will even allow these to be filled with dirt, wood chips, and other organic material.
At this time, both the Beaver Creek and Sullivan cemeteries require vaults, but this option is available in Omak.
Compare Your Options
Learn about the carbon footprint of other body care options that are available further from the valley, such as water based cremation or human composting.