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Green Burial Pittsburgh
'Green burial'
or 'natural burial' is a burial method that supports the earth's ecosystem instead of damaging it
as traditional burial methods do. No toxic chemical embalming fluids are used. Instead, the body is refrigerated
from death until burial. No concrete burial vaults are used. Caskets, if they are used at all, are
made of completely biodegradable materials. The body is buried relatively close to the surface of the ground (about
24 to 30 inches down), so it nourishes plant growth as it decomposes. Grave markers, if they
are used, are either native stones, flat on the ground, or plants such as shrubs or trees.
The mission
of Green Burial Pittsburgh is 1. To promote natural
burial to current and future Pittsburgh area funeral consumers as an environmentally friendly, low-cost alternative to conventional
burial practices or cremation, 2. To establish woodland ‘green cemeteries’ in or near Pittsburgh that offer natural burial
exclusively to funeral consumers, and 3.
To locate those
‘green cemeteries’ in designated conservation burial grounds and use a portion of cemetery income to help conserve
land and restore it to its natural condition and to purchase additional land for conservation. Financial & Environmental Impact of Traditional BurialsA traditional funeral can be a very expensive undertaking. According
to the National Funeral Directors Association, the average cost of a funeral as of July 2004, was US$6,500. That figure
included costs for a casket and an outer burial vault, but not for a cemetery plot, which add an additional US$500 to US$5,000
or more, depending on plot size, location, cemetery, and amenities such as monuments and perpetual care. In addition to the monetary costs, the environmental impact of traditional burials can also be high and can continue for decades. Each year in the U.S.1, 22,500 cemeteries bury the following materials (for vaults and caskets):
1Compiled using statistics from the Casket and Funeral Association of America, Cremation Association of North America, Doric Inc., the Rainforest Action Network, and Mary Woodsen, Pre-Posthumous Society).
Cremation is more cost-effective than a traditional burial, but has its own adverse
environmental impacts. The biggest issue is fossil-fuel consumption during the cremation process.
A single cremation uses the same amount of energy as is consumed driving 4,800 miles (7,700 kilometers). Total energy
expenditure for all cremations performed in the U.S. each year could instead be used to propel someone to the moon and back
85 times. Another environmental issue with cremation is that it is a source of air pollution and of highly toxic mercury emissions
– primarily from dental amalgam fillings. An estimated 1,000 to 7,800 pounds (450 to 3,500 kilograms)
of mercury is released annually in the U.S. by cremations. Of that, 75% becomes airborne where it can be
breathed in by all of us. (Mercury emissions could be reduced by changing cremation practices, but that
would increase costs for operators and therefore consumers.) In addition, crematoriums may be responsible
for as much as 12% of all dioxins in the atmosphere – a serious carcinogen and mutagen formed when chlorinated compounds
are oxidized. Some
but not all cremation remains are subsequently buried in a memorial setting. In cases where they are not, many people
feel deprived of the opportunity to visit a special place to honor the departed loved one. Pittsburgh is a city that is increasingly proud of its green buildings
and its environmental heritage. However, those living in the greater Pittsburgh area (and Western Pennsylvania)
who want the option of a Green Burial for themselves or a loved one will find there currently are no local Green Cemeteries.
In fact, the closest one is in Newfield, New York – a 350 mile, 6 hour drive – and next closest is a site
in Westminster, South Carolina – a 600 mile, 9 hour drive. While 3 new Green Cemeteries are currently
planned in the U.S., none are slated for the Western Pennsylvania tri-state area. Therefore, there is
an untapped market of potential Green Burial customers waiting to be served in this region. For these reasons, a group of people in Pittsburgh
has formed a non-profit cemetery association, called Green Burial Pittsburgh (GBP), which expands
our city’s green vision to include Green Burials. (We are in process of obtaining an IRS
a 501(c)(13) cemetery association status.) GBP is working with land conservancy groups to establish Green
Cemeteries in Western Pennsylvania. Not only will these cemeteries fill an unmet need for Green Burials,
but they also will generate income that can be used to conserve additional land in its natural state. All
GBP cemeteries will be certified by the Green Burial Council as “Conservation Burial Grounds”
meaning land in these cemeteries will be restored as closely as possible to a condition approximating its state prior to European
colonization. Only natural stones or native plants or trees will be used as grave markers.
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May 2008 Green Burial Pittsburgh Newsletter
Links:
Weather Channel video about green cemeteries in South Carolina and Georgia KQED video about green burial in California Memorial Ecosystems - Home of the First Green Cemeteries in the U.S. |
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