No one likes to think about dying, unfortunately it is a fact of life… but have you ever thought about the way in which it affects the environment?

Every year traditional burials in the U.S. alone cost our planet:

• 827,060 gallons of embalming fluid
• 90,272 tons of steel (caskets)
• 2,700 tons of copper and bronze (caskets)
• 1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete (vaults)
• 14,000 tons of steel (vaults)
• 30-plus million board feet of hardwoods (much tropical; caskets)

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And those figures don’t even address the issues of embalming fluid or mercury fillings!

We have put together a few resources to help you go green to the end…

According to the CBC there are some steps you can take to minimize your impact on the environment when your gone.

• Choose not to be embalmed.
• Donate your organs to continue life.
• If you’re being buried, request that your casket not be placed into a concrete vault.
• For a casket, choose a simple box made from local sustainable wood or cardboard.
• For cremation, ask that your teeth be removed to avoid the release into the atmosphere of mercury from fillings.
• Offset the emissions it takes to cremate you with carbon credits.
• In lieu of flowers, ask that donations be made to a land conservation organization.

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More information on the subject include:

• Be a Tree – the Natural Burial Guide for Turning Yourself into a Forest
• Green Burial Council – Since 2005, the Green Burial Council has been working to make burial sustainable for the planet, meaningful for the families, and economically viable for the provider.
• Natural Burial | EcoSpace
• Green funerals feature biodegradable coffins | CNN
• Green to the end | CBC

Find eco-friendly, biodegradable caskets:

• the Natural Burial Company – Biodegradable Caskets and Ash Burial Urns for North America
• Creative Coffins – Individually designed biodegradable cardboard coffins
• Passages International Inc. – Committed to creating environmentally-friendly and biodegradable cremation urns, caskets and memorial offerings to families seeking unique and affordable products to celebrate the life of a loved one.
• Ecoffins – 100% Natural and Biodegradable for Natural or Green Burial or Cremation
• Kent Caskets – Biodegradable simple pine caskets designed for natural green burials and cremations
• Colorful Coffins – The mission of Colorful Coffins™ is to promote environmentally sustainable burial sites through the use of biodegradable products and to provide an economical alternative to current end-of-life practices.
• Northern Casket – Eco-friendly caskets by Northern Casket

Find a Natural Burial Preserve in the U.S.:

• Natural Burial in the US – Locate natural burial preserves in the U.S.A.
• Greensprings Natural Cemetary – Located in Newfield, NY
• Memorial Ecosystems – The leaders in conservational burial

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Sources:

Related items:

• Recycling
• How to Go Green
• How to Go Green
• Go Green!
• Eco-Shopping Directory