A Green Afterlife

By:  Stephanie Benney

Last week I was saddened to learn of a friend’s loved one’s passing.  I listened as they went on about the arrangements and the itinerary of the wake.  Later that evening, I thought about different cultures and their burial traditions.  Then I remembered a few years ago, I had attended a networking event, where a Pittsburgh newspaper writer was the keynote speaker.  She went on to talk of her latest work and what she had been heavily researching – Green Burial Practices.  The room fell silent and I could feel the shift in energy.  Why is it that our American culture is so afraid to talk about death – what happens during the funeral and bodily preparations and what may happen in the Thereafter?  From her first word, I was captivated.  It was a fascinating avenue that I had never even thought to explore myself.

A green burial is a burial that does not use formaldehyde-based embalming, concrete burial vaults and metal or wooden caskets(caskets are full of chemically treated wood and steel).  It can also focus on facilitating ecological restoration, cultivating a woodland setting for animals and landscape-level conservation.

It was not until the Civil War, that formaldehyde-based embalming became widespread in American culture.  It was developed and used to preserve the bodies of soldiers for shipment home.   Since then, it has become the traditional means for burial procedures in the American society and more secular cultures.

Embalming is the procedure of temporarily preserving the body and slowing decomposition by use of chemicals.  Primarily, formaldehyde is the main fluid used for embalming and according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization, is a carcinogen.  It is a health hazard to funeral workers and is one of the carcinogens linked to certain diseases, such as nasal cancer and leukemia.  In a green or  “natural” burial, refrigeration, dry ice, or sealing in an airtight container are alternatives to preservation and temporarily stunting the decomposing of the body.  In Pennsylvania, there are no laws against these practices and procedures.

Cremation is certainly another alternative to embalming.  However, it leaves a heavier carbon footprint, due to the fact that this process burns fossil fuels and uses a more significant amount of energy.  Also, if the person being cremated had dental fillings, Mercury can be emitted.

In January of 2011, The Green Burial Council proposed a green burial cemetery on 30 acres of land in Penn Hills.  At this time, Greenwood Cemetery in O’Hara is one of the local cemeteries that has a set grounds for green burial, but the closest all-green cemetery is Foxfield Preserve in Wilmot, Ohio.

Green Burial has many positives in preserving and cultivating ecological preservation by use of bamboo caskets, shrouds or other biodegradable and non-toxic materials, not to mention the financial aspect.  A green burial is on average, half the cost of a traditional burial.  So, not only can our bodies help restore nature after death, we can alleviate some of the financial burdens put on our loved ones.

From dust we came and to dust we shall return….

Stephanie Benney is a “Sustainable Visionary” and also the new Pittsburgh Representative for Fuzed Marketing, where she helps companies increase their brand presence. stephaniebenney@yahoo.com