Green Calgary

For humus thou art, and unto humus shalt thou return

Reader Question

I’ve heard about “green” funerals and “green” cemeteries. Are there any green cemeteries in Calgary?

Cyndi

Ashley's Answer

The journal, British Archeology, writes that funeral rites are as old as civilization itself, dating back some 300,000 years. Early evidence suggests that Neanderthals, living in Wales, deliberately placed dead bodies in deep recesses some 225,000 years ago. Today, the funerary customs used to mark a person’s death are amazingly diverse, reflecting the many beliefs and customs of people around the world.

Throughout human existence, various means were used to deal with the remains of the dead. In ancient Egypt, embalming through mummification was common practice, whereas in Tibet, sky burials, wherein a human corpse is dismembered and left on a mountaintop for the elements and animals to deal with, were the norm.

In contemporary North American, embalming has become an integral part of many funerary rituals. By treating the body with a combination of formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, methanol, ethanol and other solvents, decomposition is forestalled and the appearance of the dead is maintained or restored. This process gives families time to gather loved ones, plan the funeral, and makes it possible to have an open casket well after death. But Jessica Metford, author of The American Way of Death, attributes the success of modern-day chemical embalming to savvy marketing by the funeral industry, not necessarily the result of any tradition or religious requirement. In fact, many religious factions forbid embalming altogether and a growing number of people have raised concerns about the environmental impacts associated with the practice.

In the United States alone, 70,000 cubic metres of hardwood, nearly 100,000 tonnes of steel, 13,000 tonnes of copper, 1.5 billion tonnes of reinforced concrete and over 3 million litres of embalming fluid are used to treat the dead each year. Mark Harris, author of Grave Matters: Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial, has asserted that there is enough wood in a ten-acre cemetery to build 40 houses and enough concrete to build swimming pools for each of them. These staggering figures have compelled people to look for more natural ways to leave the earth.

At first glance, cremation may seem like a clear alternative but it, too, is not without problems. Although fewer raw materials are used, a great deal of energy, typically in the form of fossil fuels, is used to incinerate the remains. Further to this, large amounts of air pollutants are released in the form of nitrous oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, mercury, hydrogen fluoride (HF), hydrogen chloride (HCl), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), other heavy metals and several persistent organic pollutants (POPs). For some, these traditional methods do not concur with the legacy they want to leave behind, and this has led to the creation of a growing number of natural burial sites around the globe.

Natural preserves serve as both cemetery and park, allowing loved ones to celebrate the life of those who have passed on, while appreciating and protecting the local ecology. The remains of the deceased are placed in a coffin made of cardboard or wicker, or simply covered with a cotton shroud, prior to being lowered into the earth. Instead of headstones, natural markers, such as small engraved stones, are placed at the site, thus preserving the landscape, while native trees, shrubs and flowers help to establish the living memorial. Natural burials do not inhibit decomposition, thus allowing the remains to return to the soil. This may be the closest that one gets to a zero-impact death, especially if the idea of a sky burial doesn’t get you excited.

As for green cemeteries in Calgary, I’m sad to report that there are none to speak of. Having said that, interest in green burials has been growing and just this fall Royal Oak Burial Park, in Victoria, B.C., opened its woodlands ‘green’ burial service, the first of its kind in Canada. And in Guelph, Ont., the green burial movement is gaining ground. So, much like “green” dry cleaning, which I wrote about last month, it may just be a matter of time before this option is available to Calgarians.

If you are interested in learning more about natural burials or if you’d like to support the cause, visit the Natural Burial Co-operative.

Humusly,
Ashley

Post to Twitter Share on Facebook