By Val Sweeney, The Inverness Courier
A DISUSED cabbage field, for most people, is probably not the most obvious place to bury their loved ones. But it was in such a field that family and friends gathered 10 years ago this week to bury my father.
To any onlookers it must have presented a curious sight — the black-suited undertakers, delicately picking their way across a large muddy field as they balanced the coffin followed by an informal band of mourners attired in wellingtons and walking boots.
Green burials were still very novel — so novel that a couple of documentary film researchers discreetly watched the proceedings from behind a hawthorn hedge. Although my father had died suddenly without leaving specific directions regarding funeral arrangements, he had on occasions expressed an interest in the concept of green or woodland burials.
Amid the mixed emotions of the newly-bereaved, we swung into action. Fortuitously, we discovered a former farmer’s field had been acquired to create a woodland burial site within 20 miles of the family home. Located appropriately in South Yorkshire, it would enable this staunchly proud Yorkshireman to return to his beloved county after living in Derbyshire for many years.
Serendipity was also at play in the choice of burial spot. Walking around the two-and-a-half acre site, we spotted a rogue crop of cabbages flourishing in a corner of the field — he had been a keen gardener and was renowned for stopping complete strangers passing his allotment to give away the glut of brassicas he inevitably produced.
The announcement that he was to be buried among the cabbages was received positively by relatives and friends.
The idea of going totally green and using a cardboard coffin was considered during family discussions. Ultimately, a compromise of “something biodegradeable” was agreed, partly to spare any perceived sensitivities of older relatives, especially as the coffin would be on show during the preceding service at the church where my father regularly worshipped. Among the more alarmist, there were also worries — unfounded, of course — about the unedifying prospect of a cardboard coffin disintegrating in the event of bad weather!
A few months after the burial, which was both sombre and celebratory, the family re-assembled at the plot to plant a rowan tree and place a small stone plaque flat in the ground. Toddlers and dogs romped about in the vast space while the older members reflected and looked forward to seeing the site evolve into a wooded area with wildflowers.
Although the idea of green burials was very new 10 years ago, it has become more popular with many natural and woodland burial sites now established around the country. Since the first one opened in Carlisle in 1993 a further 214 have sprung up around the UK with Inverness set to join them on the eco-friendly burial site map.
Native Woodland, which already operates four sites around the UK, has teamed up with Dochfour Estates and is preparing to submit a planning application for a site at Drumashie, between Dochgarroch and Loch Ashie on the southern outskirts of the city. The aim is to ensure minimal impact on the 10-acre site which consists of open heathland and Scots pine trees with views over the Moray Firth.
Mike Jarvis, director of the Natural Death Centre, a London-based charity, said the growth of green burial sites in recent years had been phenomenal.
“You have to consider that the baby-boomer generation — those born between 1946 and 1964 — were the first big generation group who were concerned with environmental issues,” he explained.
“They were the first in the market with recycling newspapers, bottles and cans. They are the ones getting worried about long-haul flights.
“Now they are of an age where they are burying their parents or even their partners. If their lifestyle choice is to be ecologically-friendly, then their thinking is, why not carry it through to funeral provision? The driver first and foremost is the environment.”
But many find a knock-on impact of a green burial is that it also offers an opportunity for a more personal and meaningful ceremony. Others also find a natural site is preferable to a traditional graveyard with rows of tombstones which may become neglected over the years.
So what exactly defines a green burial? The most succinct way to describe it is an unembalmed body in a bio-degradable coffin or shroud in an area where native trees or wild flowers replace man-made memorials.
Mr Jarvis said that bodies were traditionally embalmed to preserve them in a reasonable condition between the time of death and burial. But given that most undertakers now had access to refrigerated mortuary conditions, there were few circumstances where embalming was required.
Dochfour Estate owner Alexander Baillie on Drumashie Moor. Phil Downie 01463 831249
“In terms of a natural burial, an unembalmed body is a requirement because the vast majority of embalming fluids contain formaldehyde which metabolizes into formic acid which is harmful to the environment,” he said.
Likewise, the type of coffin is an important factor. There is a broad choice ranging from a basic coffin made from cardboard while those wanting something more aesthetically appealing for their final send off can always opt for a one made of bamboo and imported from China.
“The straight-forward cardboard coffin will carry up to 26 stone,” Mr Jarvis explained.
“It is definitely not a grown-up shoebox. Some people don’t really care what the coffin is like, but if it is to spend some time in full view in front of an altar rail in a church they may want it to look a bit special.”
In between, are a range of options including papier-mache eco-pods which, according to Mr Jarvis, look stunning, woven willow and wicker coffins and traditional wooden coffins.
Sites also vary, depending on the operator’s long term land management plan.
“There is a site in Aberdeenshire, for example, where they had clearly thought there was a need to regenerate it with a fairly intensive tree-planting programme,” Mr Jarvis said. “Similarly, in other areas there are sites where there might be a modest amount of tree planting but essentially they want to create a wild flower meadow.”
Exactly how many people have opted for a green burial is difficult to gauge because of commercially sensitive information. However, Mr Jarvis estimates that of the 600,000 people who die in the UK each year about 70 per cent are cremated. Most of the remaining 180,000 are buried in a site owned either by a local authority, the private sector, a charity or not-for-profit organisation.
“By 2010, somewhere between 11 and 12 per cent of burials will be in natural burial areas — about 20,000,” he said.
“The fact of the matter is this not just some whim or fancy. It is a very serious third way. It is an alternative to cremation or traditional municipal cemeteries. There is burgeoning interest from the public.”
The level of support for a green burial site in Inverness remains to be seen, although city funeral directors, D. Chisholm & Sons, expect some interest.
“Over the years, we have received several requests for information regarding green burial sites so I therefore think this proposal is beneficial as it will give bereaved families within Inverness and the surrounding areas more choice while laying to rest their loved one,” said George J. Chisholm.
“I believe people are becoming increasingly aware of environmental issues and for that reason we do carry a range of bio-degradable coffins within our coffin selection. But I’m not sure what the level of demand will be for a green burial site as many bereaved families today favour the option of cremation.”
Source - http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/printpage.php/aid/1965/Envir