Green burial becoming more popular in NH
Oct. 30—With more people concerned about reducing their environmental impact, funeral homes and cemeteries in New Hampshire are seeing a growing demand for "green" or natural burials.
The Green Burial Council (greenburialcouncil.org) defines green burial as "a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact." It involves burying bodies "without impediment" such as embalming, liners or vaults, and using biodegradable containers or shrouds.
Supporters point out it's the way our ancestors were buried for hundreds, even thousands, of years.
Author and long-time "funeral reform advocate" Lee Webster, the past president of the Green Burial Council, founded New Hampshire Funeral Resources, Education & Advocacy, which provides resources for families.
New Hampshire actually has few restrictions for burying your dead here, Webster says.
By state law, embalming is not required unless the body is held for public viewing for longer than 24 hours. Otherwise, families can choose green burials for loved ones at home or in local cemeteries — provided the cemetery rules allow for the practice.
Approximately 360 cemeteries in the U.S. and Canada now allow burial without vaults, Webster said. "It has hit critical mass," she said.
Peter Morin, executive director of the New Hampshire Funeral Directors Association, said his organization supports green burials.
"It's sort of like what's new is old," he said. "The way things were done when we still all lived in communities and villages and everyone stayed pretty close to home."
If a family asks a funeral director about being more environmentally conscious, Morin said, "the options are unlimited now, they really are."
Morin said some families choose a casket made from bamboo or wicker, or a woolen shroud. "Most of it tends to be a trend toward just wanting something simpler," he said.
Another trend is having a funeral at home, "as it was decades ago and centuries ago," Morin said.
What changed
Modern funeral practices evolved during the Civil War, Morin said. "For the first time in our nation's history, we had large numbers of, primarily, men dying far away from home," he said. "They were being killed in battle, and their one desire was to be sent home and to be buried at home."
That's when embalming caught on, he said.
A growing number of municipal cemeteries in New Hampshire are creating spaces for green burials.
Jill Huckins, cemetery administrator for the City of Concord, said she's been getting a lot more calls asking about that option. Currently, the city requires vaults for burials, but Huckins is looking for a place that would be appropriate for green burials.
Most cemeteries require vaults because the natural settlement that occurs when a casket and body decompose can cause problems for the equipment used to maintain the grounds, explained Huckins, who is president of the New Hampshire Cemetery Association. "So when we do go forward with a green burial section, we'll take that into consideration," she said.
She expects that will happen within the next five years.
For now, Huckins said, "The family is allowed to have their loved one placed in a grave so that their body is on the earth," with a concrete vault inverted on top. About two dozen families a year choose that option, she said.
Why it's changing again
Margaret Drye, a cemetery trustee in Plainfield, said her town is moving ahead to allow green burials in its 13 municipal cemeteries.
Drye said the trustees did their homework, inviting Lee Webster to give a presentation. "The more we looked, the more we liked the option," she said.
They did a survey of town residents and then brought a warrant article to the March town meeting, asking if residents supported the trustees' efforts "to begin developing policies and procedures to allow green burial in town cemeteries."
"That passed unanimously," Drye said.
The town is currently drawing up those rules and regulations. Ultimately, she said, "That will be just another option you can do with your plot in Plainfield."
It's something that funeral director Morin, 70, said he and his wife have talked about for themselves.
"It's nothing new," Morin said. "It's just the way we used to do things."
Drye, who grew up in a family of morticians, said green burial appeals to her, too. "It's very nice," she said.
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
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NHfuneral.org offers information about green burial, including a list of cemeteries that offer natural and "hybrid" burial.
