Arranging your loved one’s memorial with funeral homes Lincolnwood, IL, is an important task. If you’re an environmentalist, you have even more to think about. A better and more preferable burial is a “green burial.”

What is a Green Burial?

In a green burial, the internment of the body in the soil is done in a way to allows for natural decomposition of the body. It minimizes the damage done to the environment by burying the dead and aims to preserve natural resources. According to Green Burial Council, a burial is considered green if it:

• restores habitats
• protects worker health
• reduces carbon emissions
• nourish the local ecosystem.
• limits wastes

A green burial obliges the use of biodegradable or non-toxic materials such as urns, shrouds, and caskets. Simply put, you would be avoiding coffins, vaults, and embalming altogether.

Why Should You Choose Green Burial?

Since the 19th century, Green burials have been common in America and recently they have got a new stimulus because:

• Lower Costs

The first reason is obviously the low costs associated with them. You can potentially save money by arranging a green funeral. You don’t spend on extraneous items to put them in the ground like vaults, coffins, etc. No one wants to think about money when they’re arranging a memorial, but these matters still exist.

• Demonstrates Simplicity

The very idea of green burial appeals to the mind and soul of humans. Placing the body in a plain and unadorned coffin or wrapping in a shroud is simple, unpretentious, and natural. The notion of a human body ‘returning to nature’ convinces people to opt for green burials.

• Preserve Natural Resources

The traditional funeral industry consumes a large amount of hardwood, copper, and steel every year. According to official figures, the US cemeteries bury more than 30 million board feet of hardwood and 90,000 tons of steel in just caskets annually. Moreover, they use 17,000 tons of steel and copper and 1.6 million tons of reinforced in vaults to be buried in the ground.

• Makes you feel connected

If the deceased was passionate about the environment, hosting a green burial is a way to feel connected to them after death. Their values still matter even though they are no longer with us. These types of funerals can be very intimate. Your thoughts of nature and death converge in this one moment. If the deceased knew that they were ill before they died, they may have requested a green burial.

• Preserving Natural Environment

Green burial sites are often in a natural landscape populated by shrubs, trees, and wildlife. Such sites provide refuge and food to wildlife. In a green burial, cemeteries don’t use pesticides and fertilizers and, in a way, they preserve the natural environment and wildlife. The desire for “eternal rest” in a natural environment pushes many to choose green burial funerals.

Even though the choice of arranging a funeral service is highly personal, but the above points show why you should, at least, think of holding a green burial when you’re considering funeral homes Lincolnwood, IL.