Forest of Memories

The Los Angeles Times

There’s a growing movement in the United States toward nature- friendly burials where people will find their final resting place among trees, on acres of green, in a pine box … or just the way God made ‘em.

(more…)

By: Cynthia Calvert, Greater Houston Weekly

Russell will opt instead for a “green burial” which will mean a simple hand-dug grave along the shores of Lake Livingston in the Ethician Family Cemetery.

Russell is the founder of the state’s first green cemetery, a physical extension of his church philosophy. Russell is the founder of the Universal Ethician Church, an ecumenical, interfaith ministry. Every Saturday evening, about an hour before dusk, Russell leads simple church services, outdoors on a rocky peninsula that juts into the lake. “In our church, no one gets paid, not even me,” he says. “We don’t even pass a collection plate.”

(more…)

A growing movement advocates ‘green burials,’ which allow our earthly remains to leave a light impression on the land
By Derek Reiber, Tide Poole

In Tibet, the ancient ritual of ’sky burial’ sounds grisly and barbaric to most Westerners. According to tradition, the body of the deceased is transported to a sacred spot, where a monk performs the task of stripping flesh from bone while mumbling Buddhist prayers. The corpse — bones and all — is cut up into pieces suitable for vultures, which swoop down from circling high above the Tibetan plateau to devour the body until nothing remains.

(more…)

By Steve Chawkins, Los Angeles Times

When it came time to bury his father, Billy Campbell wanted a plain pine box - no frills, no satin lining, no filigree. But the only wood casket at his local mortuary was a varnished beauty of Spanish oak that would have been suitable for the leader of a small republic. The funeral director pointed out it was the same model used by Dan Blocker - Hoss, of the old “Bonanza'’ television series - but to Campbell that was cold comfort.

(more…)