One topic that really intrigues me is green burials. The  “Green Burial Council” (North America) defines a green burial as one that

furthers legitimate environmental aims such as protecting worker health, reducing carbon emissions, conserving natural resources, and preserving habitat.

I figured it was time for a field trip to check out the green burials in Victoria.

I visited the Green Burial Site at Royal Oak Burial Park  in Victoria BC. My impressions? The site was smaller than I imagined, surprisingly simple and natural in appearance – without the manicured look of a conventional cemetery. Their site is bordered by gardens and second growth forest. Lawn and gravel paths lead to a few native trees and plants in a centre garden.

So where were the burial sites? Stephen Olson, the director, explained to me that the “gardens” mulched with leaves were burial sites.

Ah!

As the gardens filled with burial sites, the grass and gravel pathways would become burial sites as well. Eventually the entire area would be burial sites underground, with a native forest above. A path would wind through, linking six large local stone boulders engraved with the names of those who have been buried in the site. From a distance the green burial site will be a continuation of the forest that is already there. Stephen commented a few times that “Green Burial” is not a new invention, but rather a new discovery of an old practice.

Tell me – What are your thoughts on green burials?  Is this something you would embrace?   What else would you want to know?

Stephen also opened a very interesting topic, relating stories of families that gathered and participated fully in the process and ritual of burial – a very different experience in comparsion to conventional funerals and burials.

We’ll talk more about this in the “Death and Dying in the 21^st Century” online course.