Natural burials are becoming more popular. Here’s what that means: Expert

Instead of manicured lawns and tombstones, picture of a lush forest landscape with blooming flowers and a “modest” marker.

Susan Greer, executive director, Natural Burial Association describes it as an alternate way to honour the dead and the environment.

“It’s nothing new. It’s been practiced for millennia,” Greer told The Mike Farwell Show on Wednesday.

A natural burial, according to Greer, is when a person is put in a biodegradable casket or wrapped in a cloth and laid to rest about three and a half feet underground.

This allows the body to decompose naturally and help return the biodegradable material and nutrients back to the earth, she said.  

“Imagine a meadow or a forest, that’s a natural burial ground, but with the trails so that you could go about,” Greer said. “It’s a way of providing future generations with really green natural space while honouring the deceased.”

There’s one public natural burial ground on Salt Spring Island, B.C. the only one in Canada, according to Greer.

“It’s so beautiful, you drive up a winding road, a farm, pass the animals and the crops,” she said. “Then there’s a little bit of a hill, leave your car walk further up, and you get into this Douglas fir forest, so lush and emerald green with beautiful ferns and the sounds of the birds. That’s a cemetery.”

Demand for natural burial sites is “high” in Ontario Greer said. 

Part of the reason, she said, is because the cost is lower since a large portion of the fee for burial goes to the maintenance of the cemetery.

For example, the national average cost of burying someone is $2,300 and higher, whereas cremation is around $1,800 and up.

Greer said people are also considering natural burials because they want to be eco-friendly.

While Canada tries to catch up with other countries in the world with natural burials, Greer said some cemeteries are starting to accommodate.

“In the meantime, there are what’s called hybrids…Little natural sections that are created within the conventional cemetery, usually on the edge of them,” she said.