Natural Burial

There are several different terms we in the field of death care use to discuss burial options. 

For example, I once spoke with a group of health-care professionals and was using the term “liner” to refer to the concrete box that fills the bottom of a traditional burial plot in a cemetery. I had used the term a few times before an attendee stood straight up and announced, “It’s not a liner, it’s a vault, it’s a concrete vault. I should know, I have buried three husbands.” Whoa, that caught me off guard, as it did most in the room. 

Let’s look at four terms we use around body burial, how they are the same, and how they differ.

Traditional burial

Most funeral homes and cemeteries in Alberta have been burying the deceased traditionally for decades. It is a societal practice under much scrutiny these days. Called out for it’s environmental destructiveness, many are looking for change. We spend much time and energy wanting to protect our earth while we’re alive. I want to die that way, too. 

One of the common elements of traditional burial is embalming. In the process, an embalmer removes bodily fluids, inserts chemicals to delay decomposition, and surgically poses the person in a natural state to allow for viewing of the deceased.

The work is intensive, requiring many hours and increasing funeral costs (can easily add several hundred dollars). Traditional embalming fluids contain harmful chemicals. There are less environmentally harmful mixtures becoming more available for use. 

Those who hold embalmer licenses are professionals who believe strongly in their work. The work hazards embalmers face are well documented. Embalmers serve families to help put people back together when needed. They help families who wrestle deeply in the immediacy of their tragedy. Embalmers also dress decedents (the deceased) and clean up loved ones so final goodbyes can be made. Embalming certainly continues to have a place in our lives today, however most of us don’t pass from tragedies that may require it. 

While embalming may be useful for large viewings, or for ceremonies where viewing is vital, or when there is a long period between death and burial, people are often surprised to learn embalming is not legally required in Alberta. Small family viewings without embalming are more common these days.

Moving into our next protective piece of traditional burial: we typically place the embalmed decedent into a hardwood or metal casket. Caskets are mass produced and shipped all over the world, and costs range from as little as $1,000 to $30,000 in large, corporate-run funeral homes.

But did you know that simple wood alternatives that decompose more easily for the environment are available in the market?

And finally, in traditional burial, the burial vault comes next. Once a cavity is dug into the earth, a concrete box (liner) is placed to house the casket, preventing future collapse and sinking of the soil above. The cost is around $1,000 for purchase of the liner, and then more for the installation and property landscaping when additional fill work is required, but I think additional soil fill work is preferred to burying concrete and steel. 

Decomposition or breakdown of this entire structure – embalming, casket and vault – of North American traditional body burial can take hundreds to thousands of years.  

Each of these products and services contribute substantially to overall costs in a traditional burial. So, if we don’t like the environmental or financial costs, what alternatives to traditional burial are available?

Green burial

This term has its origins in “more environmentally friendly,” and it describes burial as in the days of old. There is no embalming allowed, no burial vault or liner, and in some places, few nails allowed in a simple wood casket. The body decomposes and returns to the earth relatively quickly. Burial shrouds are encouraged. Grassroots movements have taken hold in a new generation of “green cemetery” development.

Shrouding

Shrouding involves wrapping the decedent in cotton fabrics to prepare for burial. Shrouds swaddle the deceased. At birth and at death, we swaddle. At death, shrouding the face is one of those final acts of love. Shrouding can be completed at the funeral home before burial or at home or hospice, before a loved one is released for final care. Shrouds can be as simple as queen-size fitted sheets to works of art that include heirloom quiltings and specialty fabrics, paints and embellishments. Shrouding dates back to the beginning of time. 

Cemeteries require bodies to be “contained” before burial. Shrouding together with plywood trays allow for containment and lowering the decedent into a simple grave. Some shrouds have carrying handles built in; these also “contain” a decedent. 

More on shrouding to come in a future blog post.

What does natural burial involve?

The term natural burial refers to body burial in an established (marked out) cemetery plot that does not require embalming or a concrete liner. A simple casket is acceptable or a plywood tray together with cloth shrouding. It reminds me of the little birds we so tenderly buried in shoeboxes when we were kids. 

Natural burial simply doesn’t include the elements of embalming or concrete liners. It can easily take place alongside other traditional burials that have already occurred, in our smaller, local cemeteries. To be buried naturally beside the concrete liners of our neighbours and friends speaks of a choice and a change, in a community.

Where can I find natural burial in our area?

Smaller cemeteries are more easily managed and adaptable to changing practices than the larger, all inclusive properties. Green burial is available in the Edmonton area at Rosehill Cemetery. The Rosehill Green Burial space is governed by specific standards for green burial through the Green Burial Society of Canada, which advocates for environmentally responsible and ecologically sustainable burial. 

Poplar Lake Cemetery also has provision for natural burial. 

Both of these properties are operated through the larger Anglican Church and serve all who require these services. 

As people’s commitment to environmental sustainability grows, other cemeteries could benefit from incorporating natural burial options into their space.

Bonnie with Pine Box Funerals can help connect you with cemeteries that offer natural burial options to you and your loved ones. Colchester Cemetery in Strathcona County has recently introduced a “simple burial” package. Together with Pine Box Funerals Inc., natural burial is now available in the Sherwood Park community.