Green Funerals & Natural Burials 

When you hear that one cremation releases on average 400kg of carbon (based on this article by Marie Curie www.mariecurie.org.uk/talkabout/articles/how-to-have-an-environmentally-responsible-death/284416 it doesn’t mean much to us. But, when you start to realise that it takes one mature tree, around 35 years old, a year to remove 25kg of carbon (based on this article from ecotree - https://ecotree.green/en/how-much-co2-does-a-tree-absorb#answer ) - you understand how much it is. On average it will take 16 mature trees a year to remove the carbon from one cremation. That’s a lot! If you consider the additional footprint of carbon-heavy funeral practices like importing flowers, importing granite & importing coffins you start to understand the impact. This is something we can change with greener funeral practices.

Green funerals don’t just mean green burials. Green funeral practices can be incorporated into all types of funerals. There are affordable, eco-friendly options which include the coffin, memorial & flowers we choose. How we keep our carbon footprint to a minimum on the day of a funeral & allow our body to go back to nature. You can choose a carbon-heavy process like cremation or lock away the carbon in your body with burial. The ethos behind natural burial helps keep our carbon footprint minimal. While removing toxic chemicals from funeral practices supports healthy ecosystems.

If your choice is cremation there are things you can do now like plant trees with a reputable company like the woodland trust. In the future, other choices may exist. A new mycelium coffin & talk of resomation & composting makes you wonder what will be available. It’s good to know where we scatter ashes is important as they have a high alkaline PH which can harm ecosystems. It’s about making funerals personal, meaningful & sustainable.

Natural Burial is something I am very familiar with because supporting green funerals led me to open Pembrokeshire Natural Burial Ground with Leedam. In the past cremation was thought of as eco-friendly as it used less land. Back then we didn’t understand the impact of the carbon it releases. We know natural burial is currently the most eco-friendly option we can choose and we are starting to realise that burial doesn’t have to mean a loss of land. Natural burial grounds manage land sustainably so they remain an important part of our countryside. They use biodegradable materials without no chemicals or plastic linings. They protect green spaces & native habitats. They are places used for grazing & hay & support woodland, wetland & wildflower meadows which are fantastic carbon sinks.

Natural burial also offers very personal funerals. You can plan a funeral at the burial ground or have this elsewhere with a committal. You can have a direct burial and a memorial. you don’t have that worry about time slots or other funerals so it's a more relaxed environment. It also gives families time and space to do things they may not have considered like bringing the dogs. Burials can be simple, on one occasion this was a flask of tea & custard creams with close family. You can have unique send-offs with the tractor, motorbike or ice cream van or picnic wake. I have also found that the natural surroundings are much more sensitive to children and you can include the whole family because it’s pet friendly.

You can plan a natural burial with the help of a funeral director or as a family-led funeral & the nice thing about natural burial is everyone is welcome. Burials can be religious or non-religious & families with different beliefs can be together. For those who are religious graves can be blessed and you choose the officiant and service you want. It helps to support our need to say goodbye, but it also ensures that we are working with nature so it’s about finding a balance.

You can find more information about natural burial at www.leedam.com or at www.naturaldeath.org.uk

You can find more about Pembrokeshire Natural Burial Ground at www.leedam.com/locations/pembrokeshire