Green funerals and burials are gaining popularity as trends in funeral service reflect a desire for more personalization and as people turn their focus to environmental awareness. Funeral homes can choose to become green certified through the National Funeral Directors Association, which requires a significant amount of training as well as meeting several compliance standards. While most funeral homes are likely to accommodate certain requests that are considered green practices, being certified shows how some funeral homes, like Abels Funeral and Cremation Service, are going the extra mile to reduce their carbon footprint and to confidently provide families with an array of eco-friendly options.
William Camp, one of the funeral directors at Abels Funeral and Cremation Service, says that green funerals and burials can involve a variety of different practices. The most common is related to the preparation of the deceased. There are formaldehyde-free embalming fluids that provide the necessary cosmetic and body preservation to allow for public viewing and visitation gatherings. The second most common option associated with green funerals and burials involves merchandise. Abels Funeral, for example, has biodegradable caskets and urns. For cemeteries that require a vault, they can turn it upside down; this maintains the structure of the vault, but it also allows the casket to be exposed to the earth and eventually break down. In one of the counties Abels serves, a rural cemetery has opened a green burial section to allow full body burials without any casket or vault.
Abels Funeral and Cremation Service became certified in order to better meet the needs and desires of families they serve. Camp says, “What families want comes first for us.” They value all funeral practices, and they believe being highly knowledgeable in up-to-date possibilities is highly important. If you are interested in learning more about how funeral service is going green, talk to your local funeral professional about the many unique possibilities.