Focusing on the next generation of environmental leaders;
An interview with Joe Sehee
What is green burial?
Green burial is a way of caring for our dead without the use of toxins or materials that are not biodegradable, which essentially means no formaldehyde (a major ingredient in embalming fluid), no metal caskets and no concrete vaults. It also requires that markers, if used at all, must be living (i.e. trees, wildflowers) or ecologically functional (i.e. boulders, field stones) and appropriate for the surroundings. Green burial is not a new idea. It’s the way much of humanity has handled its end-of-life rituals for several thousand years until the advent of the modern cemetery/funeral industry.
What kinds of problems does embalming pose?
There’s very little known about the impact of the nearly one million gallons of formaldehyde-based embalming fluid that Americans will bury in the ground this year. We do know that potential problems go beyond ground water contamination and extend to funeral workers who have to deal with this substance. Studies in Europe have found a correlation between formaldehyde and nasal cancer as well as leukemia. And the practice of embalming serves no useful purpose. Many consumers opt for it because they believe it to be legally required in some instances such as a funeral with a viewing, even though no state actually requires embalming for this reason. Others choose it because they’ve been misled by industry profesionals (including an owner of an allegedly”green” cemetery in Northern California) who claim that embalming is necessary to”stop the spread of airborne pathogens,” which, due to the fact that corpses cannot cough, is entirely impossible.
How do deathcare and conservation connect?
Deathcare and conservation have never before connected intentionally, though there are examples of rare plant species that were unintentionally protected in abandoned cemeteries, such as flora and fauna native to tallgrass prairies of the Midwest. At the Green Burial Council, we’ve been working to cultivate partnerships among conservation organizations and deathcare companies to develop and operate what we’re calling “conservation burial” grounds. We want land trusts, open space districts, and park service agencies to serve as long-term stewards, and for cemeterians to run these facili ties, though in ways far different than they’re used to. Standards and practices elp profiles for conservation burial set forth by the Council must be adhered to so that burial never degrades a landscape, and where possible, positively impacts it. Our approach also requires transparency and accountability on the part of cemetery operators. The Council’s enforceable standards, combined with a conservation easement, and of course burial itself, provide a couple layers of protection that should keep these natural areas protected for many generations.
Hurricane Katrina caused problems for burial practices in New Orleans, can you give us a Green Burial perspective on how this problem should be handled?
Since it’s so difficult keeping bodies under ground, and often even above ground, as Katrina demonstrated, New Orleans residents should refrain from putting toxic chemicals in them. Refrigeration and formaldehyde free embalming are more than adequate for the short-term preservation of bodies prior to burial. But under the circumstances, perhaps the greenest thing for people in New Orleans to do is cremate.
We want land trusts, open space districts, and park service agencies to serve as long term stewards, and for cemeterians to run these facilities, though in ways far different than they’re used to.