https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/readers-opinion/article283413633.html
Fresno group hopes to offer a more natural way to be buried
BY SARAH WOLFE
SPECIAL TO THE FRESNO BEE
December 26, 2023
Picture this: a beautiful meadow, natural flora and fauna abound — sunlight peeks through trees as they stretch toward a blue sky, wildflowers sway in the breeze as a butterfly flits past. Now, where are you in this picturesque scene? Well, you’re dead, and your body is located three-and-half feet beneath the soil, providing much needed nutrients to this marvelous, magical meadow.
If this sounds good to you, keep reading, and if it doesn’t, keep reading anyway because it may sound amazing to someone close to you. What I’m describing is a “green burial.” This type of burial is perfect for those who are minimalist, environmentally conscious, generally opposed to the high-cost funeral industry, or any combination thereof.
Green burials are done without embalming and all the toxic chemicals that come with that process. The deceased is interred in a three-and-a-half foot deep grave after being placed in a biodegradable casket, a simple shroud, or any other natural material you choose. This three-and-a-half foot depth is optimal for allowing the microbiome to work its magic. Unlike most burials, the grave is not lined with concrete and is even dug by hand, avoiding the CO2 emissions caused by the heavy machinery used to dig traditional graves.
Your loved ones will be able to locate your grave using GPS coordinates, and they can memorialize the spot with something native to the area like a tree, plant or stone. One important point: just because the burial process is being simplified in a green burial, that doesn’t mean the burial has to lack ritual or ceremony. Family members are encouraged to include whatever ritualistic or ceremonial practices they desire.
By this point you may be wondering, what’s wrong with the “traditional” burial practice? The one where someone dies and their embalmed body is placed in a nice casket and buried in a vault six feet below ground in a cemetery.
First, we should consider the environmental effects of “traditional” American funerals. For example, “American funerals are responsible each year for the felling of 30 million board feet of casket wood (some of which comes from tropical hardwoods), 90,000 tons of steel, 1.6 million tons of concrete for burial vaults, and 800,000 gallons of embalming fluid.”
Additionally, traditional American burial practices take up much needed land that could be used for other purposes. Green burials allow for the space to be used over and over again since a body that is buried this way will completely decompose after about 20 years.
If any of the foregoing resonates with you, allow me to introduce Ash Tree Green Burial. A 501(c)(3) non-profit “[o]n a mission to open Fresno’s first green burial cemetery.” The company was started by Cecily Callahan who, after the loss of her grandmother, felt like she wanted to see a change in the funeral industry, as well as keep the honor of taking care of a deceased loved one within the family.
As a hiker and occasional backpacker, I live by the “leave no trace” motto, so why shouldn’t I be able to die by it as well? Perhaps you prefer the traditional burial method, with a permanent casket, concrete lined grave, and all the accoutrement. Maybe this doesn’t appeal to you and that’s OK.
The heart of the issue is, shouldn’t we all have access to the death care that we want? Whether you want to be placed into a casket full of fluffy pillows and soft silk, or straight into a hole in the ground, I want you to have the burial you want and the best way to make that happen is by supporting Ash Tree Green Burial. It is trying to shake up the funeral industry locally, and is in the process of finding, and purchasing land for its cemetery.
You can help
Support Ash Tree Green Burial’s cemetery project by donating through Facebook, Instagram, or the website: www.ashtreegreenburial.org.
Sarah Wolfe is a freelance writer in Fresno and a volunteer with Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
