I have done several funerals and memorials lately and as a result spent time in the local cemetery. As an older burial site it is beautiful and green, with plenty of mature trees, but it is not "green." So the article in the Monday Toronto Star called The Greenest Farewell caught my attention. It is about being eco-conscious even when you're not, well, conscious. http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1209049--gta-s-first-natural-burial-site-opens-in-brampton
There is a new cemetery in Brampton called Meadowvale where the departed will be buried without chemical embalming, lacquered caskets, in some cases without a tombstone. Instead names will go on one of the common obelisks. The pathways in this cemetery will be natural rather than paved and the grass will not be cut.
When my wife Ruth's brother-in-law died in March she helped her sister make arrangements and asked about an eco-friendly casket. He was buried in a casket that was not lacquered and without metal hardware (wood handles.) It wasn't any cheaper and the Star article points out that "green" funerals are comparable in price, although I know some eco-friendly caskets can be more expensive.
The Meadowvale cemetery is one of only three natural burial sites in Canada, one of the others being in nearby Cobourg.
Does this option appeal to you? Have you given any thought to an eco-friendly farewell? Be honest, have you planned your funeral?
There is a new cemetery in Brampton called Meadowvale where the departed will be buried without chemical embalming, lacquered caskets, in some cases without a tombstone. Instead names will go on one of the common obelisks. The pathways in this cemetery will be natural rather than paved and the grass will not be cut.
When my wife Ruth's brother-in-law died in March she helped her sister make arrangements and asked about an eco-friendly casket. He was buried in a casket that was not lacquered and without metal hardware (wood handles.) It wasn't any cheaper and the Star article points out that "green" funerals are comparable in price, although I know some eco-friendly caskets can be more expensive.
The Meadowvale cemetery is one of only three natural burial sites in Canada, one of the others being in nearby Cobourg.
Does this option appeal to you? Have you given any thought to an eco-friendly farewell? Be honest, have you planned your funeral?
I haven't planned my funeral yet, but I'm "dying" to find out more about these natural burial sites. Actually, my girlfriend and I just jogged through the one in Cobourg.
ReplyDeleteI'm all in favour of it, but definitely not looking forward to it!
Having just gone through an English funeral. Was interested in reading the article. My mother in law was cremated, ashes scattered in garden. Grass in English. Graveyards is not usually cut.
ReplyDelete