The environmental footprint of conventional burials is huge: the metal and concrete put underground, the forests of hardwoods used to build coffins, the toxic chemicals in embalming fluid. But the graves at my company’s natural-burial sites are dug by hand, and the individual’s untreated body can be placed inside anything biodegradable: a shroud, a pine box, a basket, or absolutely nothing. This was pretty much the only way we cared for our dead until the Civil War, when formaldehyde and embalming came into use so families could bring soldiers back from the battlefield across long distances.
In a conventional burial, mourners watch a mechanical device lower the casket. That can be traumatizing—there’s a sense of disconnection with the person you’ve lost. But families can participate in every aspect of natural services:…
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O, The Oprah (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 2020