Cemetery in Cape May County, NJ, lets you save the planet after you die

WOODBINE — Have you ever thought about giving your loved one a green or a natural burial?

There is a cemetery in Cape May County that specializes in these types of burials which offer a beautiful and environmentally friendly way to memorialize someone.

What is a green burial?

A green or natural burial means no embalming is used. There are no concrete vaults, no outer burial containers, and no upright monument that is polished or set in concrete.
Biodegradable shrouds and wicker caskets are often used instead, said Ed Bixby, owner and operator of Steelmantown Cemetery in Woodbine, and former president of The Green Burial Council.

The deceased can be placed in a pine box, or a basket made of wicker, bamboo, sea grass, or willow—anything that is biodegradable, and then they are put to rest in nature. “It’s a gentler return on the earth,” Bixby said.

Shrouds can also be biodegradable, often made of materials such as hemp or organic cotton. All the shrouds, caskets, and human remains eventually become part of the soil as a result of a green funeral.

Steelmantown Cemetery is one of only a few cemeteries that accept green burials in New Jersey, and there are fewer than a dozen funeral homes certified by the Green Burial Council.

Family Participation

“But the true definition of a natural burial is the family participation,” Bixby said. The family is very much involved in the burial process.

When they arrive at the cemetery, they can place their loved one on the wagon, bring them to the gravesite, place them on the grave, and lower them into the ground.

“This is important because essentially you’re caring for your loved one as you would have cared for them while they were living. It’s a final act of kindness and what we have found is that it’s very, very cathartic. It helps people in the grieving process gain a better form of acceptance of the passing because they were hands-on,” Bixby said.

Headstones are allowed at green burials at Steelmantown Cemetery but Bixby said they must be natural or native field stones that can be engraved or painted.

They also allow living memorials. Families may also plant trees to celebrate someone’s life, he added.

When a family can care for a loved one the way they want and not on a time clock, they tend to become less fearful of death, and they accept the passing of a loved one in a different way because they are able to celebrate a life that was lived, Bixby said.

Green burials vs. Embalming

Embalming came into fashion during the Civil War so the bodies of dead soldiers could return home from the battlefield, Bixby explained.

Embalming retards the decomposition process but with a natural burial, refrigeration serves the same process. It’s not as invasive and not really necessary, Bixby said.

Embalming fluids can be toxic to the embalmer and could be toxic initially to the earth. However, formaldehyde comes from the earth so it’s not quite as bad as people want to believe, he said.

“But if you don’t have to perform that process to your loved one, why would choose to do so? It’s unnecessary but it got adopted a long, long time ago so people just felt it was something they had to do,” Bixby said.

Like a traditional burial, you can hold a wake with a natural or a green burial. Bixby said a typical natural burial in New Jersey is three to five days, possibly 7 days after someone’s passing. State law says a body must be embalmed within 48 hours after death if refrigeration or proper storage is not done, Bixby explained.

But, if someone wants a natural burial and they either refrigerated or put on dry ice, it acts like the embalming process and retards the decomposition process.

“I can tell you this. With a natural burial, no one has ever looked so alive when they’re no longer with us. It’s the truth. People look like they’re relaxed and sleeping,” Bixby said.

Natural and green burials are less expensive than traditional burials with embalming. A traditional burial has crept up between $12,000 and $15,000. A natural burial typically runs between $2,500 and $3,500 for a plot, Bixby said.

Natural burial does not mean cheap, but there is definitely a lot of savings compared to a traditional burial.

Are green burials popular?

Green and natural burials are catching on in New Jersey and nationwide because of the intimacy they involve. Bixby said a natural burial can happen in any cemetery.

Cemeteries create their own rules and regulations. If someone wants a green burial, they simply have to ask. Most will comply.

Many people choose cremation because they are less expensive than traditional burials or they just don’t want to be embalmed. But they still want the celebration of life that comes along with bidding someone farewell.

So when they find out they can have a natural burial, which is simple, and intimate, they change their mind.

“Why that’s good is for the funeral industry is that a simple, direct cremation is the cheapest form of disposition. We’re bringing people back to the cemetery. We’re bringing people back to the funeral home, and as more and more people learn about this, they just say to themselves, well, that makes all the sense in the world,” Bixby said.

He went on to predict hat in the next 10 years or so, natural burials will make up 25% of a funeral home’s services.

The Global Green Burial Alliance offers more information on eco-friendly funeral options.