Nowadays, natural burials are quickly gaining popularity due to the increased concern of people towards the effects of conventional burials.
In today’s society, it is a common thrust to go back to nature; thus, natural burials offer a sustainable means of burying a natural end for anyone who was an advocate of natural living. This growing trend shows how there is more emphasis put towards planning the deaths and the afterlife in line with sustainable standards.
What Are Natural Burials?
Natural burials, commonly referred to as green burials, entail the burial of a body with no restrictions on the type of coffin and no kind of burial container, which helps the buried body to biodeteriorate.
Natural burial does not imply the use of chemicals such as embalming fluids, concrete vaults, or non-degradable coffins, which are used in conventional burials. When buried, this occurs in a natural burial ground, in a biodegradable coffin or shroud, without the use of any chemicals.
As noted earlier, the intention of natural burials is to reduce the impact of burial in as many ways as possible. This approach also helps the body of the dead to degenerate in the natural environment, thus improving the ground cover and surrounding ecosystems.
Environmental Benefits
Mainly, as voters showed concern about the environment, natural burials became popular due to their non-harmful effects on the environment as compared with traditional burials.
The current practices of burial entail the use of some chemicals like formaldehyde, which in most cases get to seep into the ground, affecting both the environment and the health of the people in the surrounding regions.
On the other hand, natural burial cuts out all such environmentally damaging practices. Thus, through natural burials, the body is allowed to return to the earth by breaking down and this does not lead to the pollution of the environment by chemicals and also it is an effective way of preserving the natural resources.
Cultural and Ethical Considerations
Besides the environmental impact, natural forests mean a lot to many people in terms of cultural and ethical aspects. To some it is spiritual; some may have a personal belief to want to return to the earth bare, just like nature draws us.
However, natural burial, like other green burial, is cheaper than conventional burial. Both the costs of having the body prepared through means such as embalming, purchasing a casket, and the burial plot can sometimes prove costly, thus making traditional burials an unaffordable option.
The Future of Natural Burials
The society has in recent years become more sensitive to the effects of its actions on the environment, and therefore, with the increased consciousness of people for the environment, the natural burials will in the future gain even more acceptance.
It has been found that there is an increasing trend towards availability of natural burial and there is also an emergence of new natural burial grounds country-wide. In some parts of the globe, there are measures to expand legislation on natural burial and spread the positive effect it creates on environment.
In the future, it is possible to expect that natural burials will be more common as compared with conventional ones. It is logical that, following the paradigm shift to sustainability of the environment and all resources used in society, the same should apply to the manner in which we die.
They enable people to pay homage to their dead relatives in a manner that is safe for the earth; hence, they are emerging as the option for eco-friendly people.
As a whole, natural burials reflect one of the latest social tendencies in the sphere of funeral services and practical innovations that can be characterized as more environmentally friendly and refined processes. People are encouraged to go for natural burial services, as this is one way of ending the life of a person in the best way that is good for the earth.
The natural burials are gradually becoming popular as more and more people embrace the idea, and therefore they will influence the burial practices in the future.
ASH CK