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Green Funerals and Green Burials – Are youReady?
April 3, 2008I had the opportunity to attend the “Going GreenSymposium” at the ICCFA Annual Convention in San Diego. It featured Darren Crouch of Passages International Inc. and www.EarthUrn.com; Joe Sehee of theGreen Burial Council, Tim Rivera of Rivera-Hanlon Funeral Home,andMichael Kelley of KZF Design. This 2.5 hour session was very enlightening about Green Issues and Funeral Service. What Ihope is that funeral directors and cemeterians look at the “Green Movement” as an opportunityto further serve their client families and not as a threat – we didn’t embrace cremation in the beginning, let’s not make the same mistake again.I have been studying the topic of GREENING FUNERAL SERVICE closely and to start I wantto point out that there are varying shades of green. It is not “All Green” or “No Green” – funeralhomes and cemeteries can slowly incorporate GREEN into their operations. From the outset,there seems to be three areas of focus.
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Green Operations
: from an operational and building standpoint, how well are you doingyour part for the environment – terms that you will be exposed to “Carbon Footprint” and“LEED” – this is what Michael Kelley spoke on
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Green Service Options and Green Products
: from using non-formaldehyde embalmingsolutions to using refrigeration or dry ice; allowing families more participation with the body and with the service – some of which you already offer – can be seen as greenoptions; environmentally friendly products that are made from renewable resources andare biodegradable – this is what Darren Crouch talked about
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Green Burial
: this is not an exclusive option and it should be considered an acceptablechoice meaning that types of disposition available are cremation, entombment, green burial, and interment – this is what Tim Rivera and Joe Sehee shared
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