The Cost Of Going Green

The costs for a green funeral can be significantly less expensive (often cutting the costs in half) than a traditional funeral. This is because you can eliminate many of the traditional expenses, including the embalming, the ornate metal casket, the grave liner and the headstone.

Here are some ideas of prices for the different options:

• A typical American funeral costs about $6,500, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. But when you add in the expense of a cemetery plot, burial fees and a headstone, this number can be close to double that amount.
• A green cemetery in the northeast charges $1,000 for a plot and burial fees, while burial in a one green cemetery located in the South starts at $3,600, which includes the plot, burial expenses and the cost of refrigerating and transporting the body. Other green cemetery prices can fall somewhere in the middle. (However, in California, where land is much more expensive than most other places, it can cost $9,000 to purchase a green cemetery plot.)
• A biodegradable casket can range from $100 for a cardboard box to $600 for a simple pine box. But if you really want something extravagant, you can spend on up to about $3,000 for a top of the line, hand-painted option.
• If you opt for cremation, expect to pay about $1,000 or more for the process alone, plus a special box to house your remains, which starts at $20 for the least expensive one.
• The price of an at-home funeral and burial may be just the price of the casket or urn you select, as well as for any help or services you require from professionals.

So the bottom line is that a green funeral can cost anything from free for a do-it-yourself option on up to $9,000 or more just for the plot, but the average range is between $1,000 and $3,600.

Things You Should Know

Many people today, even those who haven’t consciously decided to go green, are choosing to have their remains cremated. This is indeed an environmentally-conscious choice, since it uses less in the way of resources than a typical burial would. But keep in mind that crematoriums cause much pollution themselves. This is because the process of burning the body relies on using fossil fuels which emit carbon monoxide into the air. In addition, if the body has dental fillings, these can produce mercury when burned, which can actually get into the food chain and cause its own hazards. To offset these negative impacts, some crematoriums are looking into alternatives that will help them to reduce their carbon footprint.

It is also important to note that if you decide to go with a green burial, you need to research some of your options before hand, because like cremation, some of the other environmental choices can also have other negative effects that you might not anticipate. For instance, cotton liners that come from third world countries may seem good on the surface but these may not be the best choice, since the production of cotton in these areas have polluted rivers with harmful chemicals. And bamboo caskets that rely on bamboo from China can negatively affect tigers and panda bears that rely on this for food.

Finally, these things aside, these are some challenges that are inherent with a eco-friendly funeral that have to be expected and overcome. For instance, going without embalming means that the body needs to be buried more quickly than is common in many religions.

In addition, in the winter, the ground is frozen in some areas and makes it difficult to dig, yet without preserving the body until the ground thaws, this poses a problem. But some cemeteries are using ground warmers powered by propane heaters to get around this issue. And the embalming process is also meant to stem the spread of bacteria and disease, so some worry that there is danger of ground contamination if you skip this step. Public health experts say this is not a significant threat, however, although bodies should be buried away from water supplies as a precaution.

A Final Note

If you decide that you want a green funeral, even if this may not be the be-all and end-all that will allow you to save the earth single-handedly, you can make small choices that will limit the damage that is done to the environment. Look for materials (coffins, gowns, liners, transport methods and cremation or burial practices) that consume less energy, use fewer chemicals and allow the body most easily to revert back to its natural state. Further, if you are buried in a green cemetery, remember that you will not only be conserving resources but will also be making a positive contribution for future generation since in your final act, you are supporting a natural setting and protecting it from future building development in the end.