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BROCKLANDS |
Woodland Burial |
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BROCKLANDS |
Woodland Burial |
The concept of Green Burial started in 1994 and is, therefore, still fairly new. So its principles are far from being set in tablets of stone. There are one or two notable pioneers in the field, and in particular one organisation, The Natural Death Centre, who have led the way in the development of the idea. But it is still a broad subject and may be approached from various different angles, be it commercial, social or charitable. There are two main themes which seem to be common to all these approaches:
The widespread adoption of cremation in the last century was accompanied by the notion of 'save the land for the living'. Today the opposite may be the case in that cemeteries and graveyards, particularly in urban areas, have become green oases in the concrete jungle, and have preserved wildlife habitats from the developers' bulldozers.
17th Century carving of 'Tree of Life' on an oak chest at Cappleside |
Green Burial is an extension of this idea. It promotes the natural life/death cycle of nature, encouraging new habitats to develop over the graves. Trees and flowers are planted, and as the woodland matures, wildlife increases. This continuation of life is often represented in the ancient Tree of Life symbol, which in turn is often represented by an oak tree. It should be noted that not all Green Burial sites involve creation of woodland; there are also meadow or field sites, where the principles are the same, but a different habitat is created. In other places trees are planted as memorials, but away from the burial area. These are merely different expressions of the same basic idea.
The aim is that only natural materials should be used in the burial process. Thus the body should not be embalmed, as this involves the use of chemicals which could subsequently be released in the ground, possibly damaging the flora. The depth of the grave is important: the shallower it is the quicker the coffin and body will break down, providing nutrients for the trees and flowers growing above; obviously in practice a reasonable depth needs to be used even though there appears to be no legal minimum requirement. The coffin or burial shroud should be made of biodegradable materials, so that what is left in the ground is natural and unharmful. Equally there should be nothing artificial adorning the surface of the grave: no tombstones or permanent memorials. Graves are used for planting trees, shrubs, bulbs, wildflower seeds, such as are necessary to create the habitat that is intended.
An important part of the ethos of the Green Burial movement is that the individual should think about and make plans for their own demise, the effect of which is that the subject becomes demystified and able to be confronted and discussed openly. If close family and friends are involved in this discussion, then when the death occurs it is accompanied by less fear and shock, and the grieving process can be eased. The situation can also be helped by the knowledge that the burial will contribute positively to the creation of wildlife habitats and further the natural life cycle.
The funeral of a loved one is inevitably a time of sadness and grief, but it may also be seen as a celebration of a life. As such it is a very personal event, and the way it is organised should be the choice of the people involved. So it may be the choice of the family that the funeral and burial is organised by a funeral director. On the other hand they may wish to make all the arrangements themselves: a DIY funeral. This may have been the wish of the deceased before he/she died. The key point here is flexibility, and this is an important element of the green burial philosophy.
The availability of choice can have two significant effects: first, as mentioned above, more involvement in the funeral and burial process can be therapeutic; and second, a financial effect: the family can have more control over how much they spend. A woodland burial can be a relatively inexpensive affair, where the services of a funeral director are dispensed with altogether. It is quite possible for the individual to do all the necessary paperwork, obtain the coffin, provide the transport for moving the body to the place of burial, and to perform their own ceremony at graveside if so desired.