Green Burial

Green burial strives to reduce the environmental footprint created in the disposition of a body. Whereas traditional burial typically involves toxic embalming agents and durable caskets designed to withstand the elements and time, green burial enables the body to return to nature as quickly and cleanly as possible. Unlike fossil fuel-intensive cremation, green burial methods partner with the mycorrhizal (fungal) networks in the earth to release the valuable chemical and biological elements back into the soil. Green cemeteries avoid pesticides and herbicides, and may aid in land conservation efforts. Often they use GPS markings instead of grave markers. With the flourishing of wild plants, pollinators and animals, green cemeteries tend to brim with life.

Speakers:
Michelle Hogle Acciavatti is a natural deathcare worker and the founder of Vermont Forest Cemetery the first natural burial ground in Vermont. She worked to fully legalize natural burial in Vermont and in addition to being a cemeterian, is a funeral director, death doula, pregnancy loss guide, home funeral guide, end of life specialist and natural burial educator. Her work has found her in settings as varied as the forest, Boston Children’s Hospital, The Vermont State House, and people’s own living rooms as well as the traditional funeral home. More about Michelle at: Ending Well.

Regina Harrison is Director of Sales at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge/Watertown, Massachusetts, where she has worked in various roles for over 15 years. Her anthropology background is a key part of both serving families and thinking about how cemeteries can not only adapt to changing cultural trends but become positioned to lead them. As a birder and gardener she deeply appreciates how our cultural beliefs about death have led to the preservation of significant green spaces in urban environments.