Natural burial is a way of caring for the dead that minimizes environmental impact and aids in the preservation of habitats.* Many natural burial grounds undertake significant projects to rehabilitate and preserve endangered land from development. Equally important, natural burial also facilitates a return to grieving & memorial rituals that center communion with nature. Natural burial rites have been used for thousands of years and prior to the Civil War, natural burial was also the dominant practice throughout the United States. Despite this long history, few Americans are familiar with natural burial or what a contemporary “green” cemetery looks like.
The loss of my grandparents and the onset of the pandemic led me to research practices of death care, and particularly the healing benefits of natural burial on both psychological and ecological levels. At each burial ground I visited, I encountered traces of grief and growth; carefully tended flower beds, hand-made monuments, burial mounds receding into verdant thickets, and well-worn walking paths. Many of the gravesites are easily identifiable, however, others are purposefully unmarked or have become indiscernible from the overall ecosystem. As Carolina Memorial Sanctuary states, “each burial becomes part of the living landscape.” Natural burial grounds are dynamic ecosystems—places where individuals can observe and contribute to communal growth, grieving, and restoration.
*From the Green Burial Council
More information on Natural Burial: greenburialcouncil.org | conservationburialalliance.org