Oh dear me, it has been awhile since I posted!  It has just been such a busy last three years.  Some personal things happened with my family and I had to attend to those matters.

One thing that I pondered these past two years was green burial.  Ok not the nicest topic, but with both my parents passing and cremating them it did bring up the question of how to have a greener burial. Plus it is something we all face one day. People do have "green" weddings so what about "green" funerals.

I learnt that Royal Oak Burial Park opened in 2008 and is the first urban green burial interment site in Canada. The first Green Burial Park was in Britain in 1993 in response to the high cremation rate and the emissions released in to the atmosphere.  Cremation does have an impact on the environment. 

In a Green Burial the human body is returned to the earth to decompose in a natural state.  This means there is no embalming, although basic sanitary care is done such as washing, bathing and topical disinfection.  The body is dressed in organic clothing and either placed in a biodegradable casket or wrapped in a shroud. The body is then placed directly into the earth and over time with decompose and contribute to new life.

At the Royal Oak Burial Park there are no headstones.  Plants natural to the Victoria area, selected by the family, are planted on top of the grave. The name of the deceased is then inscribed onto a community  boulder in close vicinity to the grave. 

I'm not sure of the cost.  I've tried to find more information.  Considering the costs of a funeral, and cremation, going a greener route may cost less.  It doesn't prevent a celebration of life either, as that can still take place. In keeping with the green burial, think about keeping the celebration of life as green as possible too.