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Green Funerals

When a arranging a funeral for a close relative or friend, or just making funeral plans for the future, the thought of spending a significant sum on a traditional coffin may seem to be at odds with ‘the way they lived their life’ or to be incompatible with the environmental ethics that they tried to uphold.

Don't be tied to traditions. A service can be held in a field, house, garden or a chapel.

Making the arrangements early is not disrespectful, but rather taking away the burden: the few days after can then be spent mourning rather than arranging details. Then just prior to the service, you can start the thanks-giving for the life of the departed.

For a good explanation of alternative burials and help for the bereaved, click here.

Low-impact funerals provide green alternatives.

Please have your service sheets printed on recycled paper and indicate that rather than flowers, donations will be given to your favourite charity or foundation.

Coffins & Urns

There are several choices for coffins which can be bought for use in Woodland cemeteries, green burials, environmentally-friendly funerals, or for an alternative funeral where an individual request may include a willow coffin. Coffins and urns made of cardboard, willow, bamboo or eco-pods can be found at:

• Peace Funerals, Sheffield;
• Wicker Willow Coffins, Bridgwater, Somerset;
• Ecoffins, Kent;
• Ecopods sell recycled paper coffins and recycled paper Acorn Urns

• Earth Urn, Maidenhead, Berkshire.

Burial

Then for the burial, there are several Woodlands that have approval to take coffins, shrouds or caskets.

The woodland is either a meadow or copse and the burial site is marked by a wooden plaque and the planting of a sapling.

Your eco-coffin can be buried at the woodland, or the ashes can be scattered or interred.

The Natural Death Centre provides advice and a handbook on all aspects of the process including natural burial grounds. The centre also has good links to green funerals in Europe, USA, Canada, Australia & New Zealand.