Discuss the "Green Burials" TV story

Gabriela Quirós Post on Feb 27, 2007 by
Topics: Chemistry, Environment, Television

Concerned about toxic embalming fluid, caskets made of rainforest hardwood, and bodies encased in vaults that never decompose, a small but growing number of undertakers is driving a new movement: green burials. We visit cemeteries in Marin and Sebastopol offering green burials, in which bodies are laid to rest in a simple pine casket or a shroud, graves are marked with natural or very simple grave markers, and families often locate their loved ones through a GPS computer chip.

Green Burials and California's High Speed Rail (episode #104) airs tonight on QUEST at 7:30pm on KQED 9, and KQED HD, Comcast 709. (full schedule)

You may also view the entire Green Burials story online.

Additional images are available for viewing and comment at the Green Burial – KQED QUEST flickr photo set.

Gabriela Quirós is a Segment Producer for KQED-TV, and is the producer for this story.

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  • Gabriela Quiros

    CORRECTIONS:
    The man identified as "Gary McRae, General Manager, Forever Fernwood" is actually James Cirulli, a neighbor of the cemetery who enjoys taking his dog for a walk in its open spaces.

    Gary McRae appears earlier in the show talking about Fernwood's first green burial.

    Also, "Sebastopol" was misspelled at the beginning of the story.

    We apologize for these errors and hope that you enjoyed the story.

    Sincerely,
    Gabriela Quiros
    QUEST segment producer

  • Ruth Wantling

    I have attempted to contact the Green BurialCouncil to gather locations for Green Burial signts in the US. I found their web sight but can not get any results except for California. Would you have any other sight where I might acquire this information.
    Thank you, Ruth Wantling

  • http://none Michael Whitman

    Check http://www.funerals.org/faq/green.htm

    This is the website for the Funeral Consumers Alliance, a national non-profit dedicated to distributing coinsumer information about how to get the kind of funeral you want. Lots of great info at "funerals.org."

  • http://naturalburial.coop Mike Salisbury

    The natural burial co-operative has recently launched a new website supporting the natural burial movement around the globe.

    A complete listing of natural burial sites in the USA (both existing and proposed) can be found at

    http://naturalburial.coop/USA/

  • Lee Ann Fagan

    Our family just chose Forever Fernwood in Mill Valley to manage the cremation of and to bury our father. We have enjoyed the option of having this be an affordable, environmentally conscious, and peaceful way to go.
    The video clip of this story has some good representative shots of the views at Fernwood; there are several good choices for burial sites, from meadows to wooded areas, easily accessible to not so…and even a couple of actual small formations made with holders to place containers of ashes into, in case you want the view and accessibility but don't have the desire to put the ashes into the ground.
    Anyway, the sales service was excellent, with a tour and a sensitive discussion of the options, and then when our father passed away his body was transported almost immediately, with no muss or fuss, just as he would have liked it.
    Nice place, nice cause, and nice folks.
    As a matter of fact, our dad's parents are buried in the other cemetery featured in this story — the Sebastopol Memorial Lawn Cemetery — and I went there to check out the "green burial" area. Having attended a few graveside services at this cemetery, besides my grandparents', I was already familiar with the place. It's got an old, rundown area of the oldest graves, and a more kept-up, colorful area of newer ones, and an overall kinda "cozy" feeling to it (as much as that can be possible in that kind of place, I suppose!). Not the spacious views of the Mill Valley cemetery hillsides, but lots of trees around the perimeter and a few scattered on the grounds — especially near the mausoleum. Right next to it, on the east side, is a Luther Burbank garden/park, so that helps keep the feel of it on the natural side, too.
    Lots to ponder for many of us….and there's nothing like planning a loved-one's funeral to make you think about your own preferences, huh?