Natural Burial

[MrsPete]

They talked him into getting a vault, which I really didn't think he should have, but it wasn't my place. And I didn't want to take a chance on saying anything at all that would upset him. I love him so much and it was a rough time.

I thought a vault was required for an embalmed body.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

I think the 24-hour law is in place everywhere; however, I know that at least one small religious group near us does bury in this manner. If a person dies at noon, they call up everyone and have a funeral before noon the next day. If someone can't make it, well, that's just the way it is.

Embalming is only required when a "viewing" is scheduled. In an earlier post, I linked to an article that says a body can be placed on ice in place of embalming.

And no state has a law requiring a body be buried in a vault. My grandfather was embalmed and not buried in a vault. Some cemetaries can require a vault. But there is no state or federal law requiring a vault.

 

[Myothername]

My husband and I both want to be cremated. He wants his ashes spread over his mother's and grandmother's graves. I want mine scattered at Dauphin Island, Alabama, my favorite vacation spot (next to WDW). Our son is totally grossed out by all this and wants to be buried. Cremation is so much cheaper but I have heard of the natural burial thing and think it is a great idea. But you will still have space that will not be able to be used for any other purpose. It will be less polluted though.

 

[snykymom]

Embalming is only required when a "viewing" is scheduled. In an earlier post, I linked to an article that says a body can be placed on ice in place of embalming.

And no state has a law requiring a body be buried in a vault. My grandfather was embalmed and not buried in a vault. Some cemetaries can require a vault. But there is no state or federal law requiring a vault.

New Jersey law requires a vault to be placed in the grave, depending on the soil conditions. This is true even in a Jewish cemetary with a religious burial. I unfortunately had to attend to this recently when my mother passed away. She was not embalmed; she was shrouded and placed in a simple kosher pine casket. Yet we were still required to have a vault.

 

[browneyes106]

Several Native American groups in New Mexico bury bodies soon after they die if autopsies or other issues aren't needed. The natural or green burial was featured a couple of times on Six Feet Under.

 

[Acklander]

I plan on having an eternal reef for my final burial.

www.eternalreefs.com

 

[Mark Harris]

I wrote a book about natural burial -- Grave Matters -- and wanted to join in and comment on this fascinating thread.

* States don't require the use of burial vaults. Most cemeteries do, however (to prevent soil from sinking into a collapsing grave and thus requiring the cemetery to fill the declivity with dirt)

* Embalming is almost never required by law. A funeral director who's handling the remains for an open casket viewing may require it, however.

* In most states, families can care for their own dead, without the aid of a funeral director. Among other things, that means families can purchase (or make) their own caskets, wash and lay out the deceased themselves (typically with the aid of dry ice), and transport the dead to the crematory or cemetery themselves. Certain papers do need to be filed, but most states allow families to do that on their own.

* There are about a dozen "natural" cemeteries in the U.S., with scores of other traditional cemeteries that are allowing vaultless burial anywhere on their property or have carved our separate green burial sections only on their grounds. I blogged about one of those recently and included a photo. It's on my web page (link below), click on Blog.

Mark Harris
Author, Grave Matters (gravematters.us)

 

[chamonix]

Most states do not require embalming.
--Funeral homes may require it if you have a viewing.
--Airlines may require it if you need to transport the deceased by air.
Some states require it only if the body is not buried within a certain time frame (example: Minnesota requires it if the body is held more than 72 hours, not 24) or sometimes if the person died of a communicable disease.

Most states do not require caskets.
--some cemeteries do require it
--even cardboard is an acceptable casket, in fact many bodies are buried in cardboard boxes.

Most states do not require vaults or grave liners.
--cemeteries usually do require these due to settling of the ground when caskets decompose. (It is not a law, just a requirement of each cemetery, even in the new jersey case mentioned upthread)

Green burial is allowed pretty much in every state, it's the cemeteries that may not allow them. Most states allow the family to bury their own dead with few regulations, actually, the only real limiting factor is finding the ground/land to do it. If you have land in the country, you can pretty much go for it.

My good friend died last year and we buried him on his farm. Legally. No previous cemetery was there, he's the first and only body. No vault, no real casket (he's in a simple unfinished pine box, think plywood). The only regulations we had to deal with (Illinois) were that he had to be buried 18 inches below the surface and he had to have some sort of permanent grave marker within 1 year. We had a local artist friend build a stone bench and made a sculpture-like pillar with clay tablets with his name and some words, and with a gorgeous pottery bowl set on the top.

We also, like most in this thread, had no idea this was possible (burying him ourselves at home) but after he died, it was actually suggested to us by the Unitarian minister (not sure they call him that, I'm not UU). He had already been taken to a funeral home by the time it was decided and they assisted us with finding out the legalities. Turns out, there's just not that many legalities involved. I guess it's pretty easy to assume that the normal way to do things is the only way, or is done because it's the law and you have to do it. In the end, people do what the cemetery requires, and what the funeral home requires because they believe it's state law. Most often, it's not.

 

[chamonix]

Looks like we posted at the same time, Mark! Thanks for your info on this thread. It's good for people to know they can go green with their burials too.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Looks like we posted at the same time, Mark! Thanks for your info on this thread. It's good for people to know they can go green with their burials too.

Thanks both of you for the information. There are so many myths perpetuated by the funeral industry that take advantage of vulnerable families who are in no emotional mindframe to challenge the funeral directors. I'm not saying this is true for all funeral homes, but I did witness it myself when my MIL died, and my dad dealt with it when his dad died. He tried to talk his mom out of the embalming (there was no viewing), but the funeral home guilted her into it. They can make you feel like you need all the bells and whistles for the deceased.

 

[LukenDC]

Mark, welcome to the DIS and thank you for joining this discussion. I perused your website and will buy your book. I'm 37 and in good health, so it is unlikely that either I or my loved ones will need to plan my funeral in the near future. Still, it is something to consider as we all die at some point.

Learning about natural burial has diminished the apathy that I used to feel about funeral/burial arrangements and enhanced my perception of death as a peaceful and natural event.

 

[Mark Harris]

I met many, many caring and decent funeral directors in the course of my research. But the industry certainly does benefit from our ignorance (i.e., most of us thinking that embalming is required, for one) and our vulnerability.

After all, we're negotiating a contract for goods and services that will run anywhere from $10,000 to $12,000 (the average cost of a funeral and burial in this country) at a time when we're an emotional wreck.

Even then, I think we'd be more reluctant to agree to embalming if we knew just what it entails (see chapter one of Grave Matters).

In part, that's why I think green burial will take hold: it's a lot cheaper, tends to be family-driven and thus leads to funerals that are highly personal and moving, is in keeping with tradition (since green burial is just a return to the sensible burials of old), and is better for the planet. What's not to like?

 

[funnygarcia]

Around here that would not be legal. Any body not buried within 24 hours has to be embalmed.

Actually the MN law changed recently, now it's up to 72 hours. Which opens up a chance for family to have private in-home viewal. It may be a real possibility in the future if a company did open a green burial site here.

Really, there is no community health need to embalm and in fact embalming fluids are toxic for the environment and for the workers using them.
I was surprised to learn that the blood is washed down the sewer drain during the embalming process. We are told to worry about blood exposure , yet blood can go in our sewer system? Really then what is the point of embalming? To make it more pleasant to people passing through a cemetery. .. just like shrink wrapping everything you buy at the grocery store.

 

[terri01p]

 

[DawnCt1]

grave.

I am interested in reading any accounts from DISers who selected natural burial for themselves or a loved one. Was it easy to make plans? Expensive? One downside is that there are few cemeteries at this time that permit natural burial. How did you select a cemetery?

Luke, You forgot to mention the other down side. You have to die to be buried. I am still in denial! I am not totally familiar with Jewish burial, but this almost sounds familiar.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

We love him here, Willie P is so hilarious if anyone comes across a youtube clip of this let me know. That would have been so funny!!!

AH, another fan! I love him, too! It's much funnier than the way I told it. He (and his wife) crack me up!!

 

[LukenDC]

Luke, You forgot to mention the other down side. You have to die to be buried.

Believe me, I'm in no hurry to receive a natural burial. Too many fun Disney trips to look forward to!

 

[tar heel]

Centuries from now I suspect people will study our funerary customs and find them as outlandish as we do the Egyptians. I find sewing eyes and mouths together, heavy make-up, burying people in better clothing than the wore while they were alive, vaults, etc., much more distasteful than natural burial. My parents are all for this, though, and I will make sure they have the kind of funerals they want.

Someone mentioned that greener funerals tend to be more personal and family driven. That was certainly the case with my MIL. We had a memorial service that was led by a minister who knew and loved her. There were no funeral directors, so there was not that weird formality you get with a serivice orchestrated by them. Afterward, there was a big reception. She was cremated and her cremains delivered to us in a cardboard box. We scattered the ashes in a "scattering garden" on a mountainside a couple weeks later. There are small brass plaques bearing the names of people scattered there on the rock wall next to the garden. Cost had nothing to do with this funeral, but it was under $1,000.

 

[Sparx]

I suppose if the body ends up as fertilizer like in the OP, then there would be no reason to not bury another body. It may not even take 50 years. I have no clue how long it takes a human body to break down completely. And there would still be bones....hmmm. I don't know. But we do need something similar to this. I did a little bit of reading after the OP posted the question and the article mentions that natural decomposition can also release toxins. Putrification can also pollute soil and ground. No way around that I guess, but at least it's the way Mother Nature intended it.

Decomposition depends on the enviornment the body ends up in. In a hot, lush, wet place the body could decompose to bones in a matter of months.
Without embalming fluid and no wood to be broken down (casket) it would be quick, very quick in most enviornments.

 

[twinmomplus2new]

About ten years ago a yopung mom in town died, ( accidental overdose) She was transported and some sort of an autopsy was done. But she was NOT embalmed. I could never figure out how they got around this? Since she was at the ME's for over a week before release.

Viewing and Burial was a the Old Indian meeting house and burial grounds. So That would be tribal owned lands. I am assumming there must be some religous exceptions in some states?