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Green & natural burial

Burial without embalming, vaults, or non-biodegradable materials.

Natural burial returns the body to the earth simply: no embalming, a shroud or biodegradable casket, and a grave in a conservation or hybrid cemetery, often marked with a stone or a tree rather than a monument. Some providers also offer water cremation (alkaline hydrolysis) or human composting where legal. It's a growing category with real regional variation — certified green cemeteries are still unevenly distributed.

When you’ll need them

Decide early — it affects the funeral home you choose, since embalming and standard caskets are exactly what you're declining.

What it typically costs

Natural burial plots typically $1,000–$4,000; the simpler goods (shroud, plain casket) often cost less than conventional equivalents. Water cremation, where offered, is usually priced near flame cremation.

Typical U.S. ranges, for orientation only — prices vary widely by region and provider. Always ask for an itemized price list.

Questions worth asking

  • Is the cemetery certified (e.g., Green Burial Council), hybrid, or conservation?
  • What grave markers are allowed?
  • Do you require any liner or vault? (True natural burial doesn't.)
  • Which alternatives — water cremation, composting — are legal in our state?

Keeping track of who you’ve chosen?

The family workspace has a vendor list built for exactly this — contacts, status, payments, and who’s pointed at it, shared with your whole family. Free.

Open a workspace

Are you a green burial provider?

Join the partner program — earn 50% of every archive a family you refer makes permanent, and be first when provider listings open.

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