Green Burial: What It Is, How It Works, and How to Plan One

Interest in green burial has grown significantly as people look for death care options that align with their environmental values, reduce costs, and create a more meaningful connection to the earth. Here's a comprehensive guide to what green burial is, how to plan one, and what to expect.

What Green Burial Is

Green burial returns the body to the earth the way humans were buried for most of history — simply, without chemicals or concrete barriers between the body and the soil. The body decomposes naturally, becoming part of the local ecosystem and, in conservation settings, actively contributing to habitat.

Key elements of a green burial:

No embalming. Refrigeration (or, in some cases, dry ice) is used to preserve the body for the short period before burial. Modern embalming is not necessary and is primarily cosmetic.
Biodegradable burial container. A simple wooden box (without metal hardware), a wicker or willow coffin, a cardboard coffin, or a natural fiber shroud.
No concrete vault. Conventional cemeteries typically require a vault or liner to prevent ground settling; green cemeteries do not.
Simple, natural grave marking. A fieldstone, a native plant, GPS coordinates, or a tree — not a traditional polished headstone (though some green cemeteries allow them).

Types of Green Burial

Natural burial

The standard form of green burial, conducted in a cemetery or burial ground that permits natural burial practices. Many conventional cemeteries now offer a designated "green section."

Conservation burial

Natural burial on land that is permanently protected from development, managed for habitat, and often certified by the Green Burial Council. The most environmentally rigorous option.

Home burial

In many U.S. states, families may bury a loved one on private property, following state and local regulations. This is the most natural and least expensive option, though it requires significant family involvement and careful attention to legal requirements.

Aquamation (alkaline hydrolysis)

Not a burial per se, but a water-based alternative to flame cremation that uses water and potassium hydroxide to reduce the body to bones — much more environmentally gentle than cremation. Available in a growing number of states.

Human composting (natural organic reduction)

The body is placed in a vessel with organic material and transformed into soil over several weeks. Currently legal in a growing number of states (Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, California, New York, and others). The resulting soil can be used in a garden or conservation land.

Finding a Green Cemetery

The Green Burial Council (greenburialcouncil.org) maintains a directory of certified green cemeteries by state. The National Home Funeral Alliance (homefuneralalliance.org) provides resources for families interested in home funeral and natural burial options.

Planning a Green Burial

If you're planning ahead for yourself:

Research green cemeteries in your area — or the area where you want to be buried.
Visit and ask questions — ask about what is and isn't permitted (container types, grave marking, visitation), how the land is managed, and who holds the conservation easement if it's a conservation cemetery.
Reserve a plot — many green cemeteries allow pre-need purchases.
Document your wishes — in your advance directive, your will, or a separate letter of instruction to your family, specify your preference for green burial.
Share your wishes with family — ideally while you're alive and able to explain them. This prevents well-meaning family from making a conventional choice because they didn't know your preference.

Related Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

What is green burial and how does it differ from conventional burial?

Green burial (also called natural burial or eco-burial) returns the body to the earth as naturally as possible, without embalming, without a concrete vault, and using biodegradable burial containers. The body decomposes naturally and becomes part of the local ecosystem. Conventional burial typically involves: embalming the body with formaldehyde-based chemicals; placing the body in a metal or hardwood casket; placing the casket in a concrete vault or liner in the ground (required by most conventional cemeteries to prevent ground settling); and maintaining a manicured grave site with headstone. Green burial omits all of these: no embalming (refrigeration is used short-term instead); the body is wrapped in a biodegradable shroud, placed in a biodegradable container (a simple wooden box, a wicker coffin, a cardboard coffin, or directly in a shroud), and buried without a vault. The grave site is marked by a stone, tree, GPS coordinates, or native plantings rather than a traditional headstone. Green burial preserves or restores natural habitat: many green cemeteries are conservation areas, protected land, or native woodland.

How much does a green burial cost compared to a conventional burial?

Green burial tends to be significantly less expensive than conventional burial, primarily because it eliminates the most expensive components: embalming ($500–$900), a metal or hardwood casket ($2,000–$10,000+), and a concrete vault ($1,000–$2,000). The median cost of a green burial is typically in the $1,500–$4,000 range for the burial itself (not including any funeral home services), compared to the national median of approximately $9,000–$12,000 for a conventional burial with full funeral home services. The largest variable cost in green burial is the cemetery plot, which varies widely by location — conservation cemeteries in desirable areas can charge $2,000–$5,000 or more per plot, while rural or religious green cemeteries may charge $500–$1,500. A simple home funeral with green burial — where the family handles most of the arrangements themselves — can be accomplished for well under $2,000 total in states where home funerals are legal and accessible.

What is a conservation burial and how is it different from other green burial options?

Conservation burial takes green burial a step further by linking it explicitly to land conservation. In a conservation burial ground, the proceeds from burial fees are used to protect, restore, and manage natural habitat in perpetuity. The burial ground itself is permanently protected from development, often through a conservation easement held by a land trust. Conservation burial was pioneered by the Green Burial Council (greenburialcouncil.org), which certifies three levels of green burial: "hybrid" (conventional cemeteries that offer a natural burial section), "natural" (cemeteries designed exclusively for natural burial), and "conservation" (land-protected properties dedicated to both burial and habitat). Conservation burial is the most rigorous from an environmental standpoint. In practical terms, it means your burial site is a protected natural area where native plants and wildlife are actively managed — a wildflower meadow, a forest, a prairie — and where your remains contribute to that ecosystem rather than being isolated from it in a sealed casket.