As the baby boomers get to the age where they are burying their parents and even some of their contemporaries, they are doing what they have always done- changing the rules.
For many that means that cremation and a ‘celebration of life’ rather than a wake and burial are becoming the norm. Scattering in a favorite mountain retreat, dove releases at the celebration, diamonds made out of the ashes, and myriad other choices have sprung up to accommodate the generation that wants control and options over life- and death.
The latest new thing is ‘green burial’, an import from Britain where there are over 140 woodland burial grounds. In contrast to the traditional cemetery with its rows of granite monuments and manicured lawns, the woodland cemetery often consists of acres of prairie grasses and no monuments. Bodies are buried in a shroud or biodegradable coffin with no burial vaults and either natural rocks to identify the grave or nothing at all. The purpose is to return the body to be part of the ecosystem.
In a recent episode of the HBO hit series Six Feet Under, one of the main characters dies and is buried in a shroud without a casket in a green cemetery.
Differing views prevail on the practice. Tom Lynch, author and Michigan funeral director says "It’s not enough to be a corpse anymore. Now you have to be a politically correct corpse." Jerry Draper, an organic farmer who is thinking of turning an 11 acre lot into a green cemetery says "It’s about taking responsibility, leaving the campground cleaner than when you left it. It’s about being a Prius rather than a Hummer."
For more information, check out the article in the NY Times.com (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/13/national/13cemetery.html)
Hi, Dick,
You have done it again! This is a great site. I think you are always on the cutting edge. Congratulations on launching another good idea! Betty
Posted by: Betty Murray | October 26, 2005 at 10:43 AM