A recent trending story caught our attention regarding eco-friendly funerals. If you haven’t read the news articles, here is a brief summery.
Hanna Longard, an upper year student at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, is researching green funerals. As part of her research, she has been visiting cemeteries, interviewing funeral directors, and consulting with a wide range of people in what she calls the “death care” industry.
Overall, Longard wants people to know there options when it comes to your arrangements after-death. While people may not want to discuss the inevitable, she thinks it’s important for people to know that there are eco-friendly funeral and burial options.
Through her research, she’s seeing that some Canadian cemeteries are already offering eco-friendly burial options, such as compostable caskets and communal burial plots. This is positive, yet not everyone knows about it.
People have different reasons for wanting these green options. Some people are concerned with how the traditional methods impact the planet, while others are moved by the concept of being returned to the earth in a natural way.
In the article from The Canadian Press, president of the Funeral Service Association of Canada, Yves Berthiaume, said that the issue isn’t a matter of funeral homes not having these options, but more the fact that people don’t know to ask about them. There seems to be a lack of demand in this area currently, which of course, can and will change over time.
Another reason why not everyone is adapting to the practice is the cost. It is more costly for funeral homes to stock eco-friendly products, so they need to charge more for green funerals.
Longard’s project is aimed at creating awareness of green options – getting more people to talk about their wishes and look into the environmentally responsible options available.
What are your thoughts? Would you have an eco-friendly funeral/burial?
If you have any questions about the burial and funeral options at Chapel Ridge Funeral Home and Cremation Centre, check out our webpage or reach out to a funeral director for more information.