Environmentally Friendly Burials on YouTube

Here is an excellent video made by the folks over at GreenSprings Eco-Cemetery in Newfield, NY that gives a very good, basic idea of what Green Burial is all about:

TNL Minnesota Chapter

It's been a while, but I think it's finally time for an update. Nicole and I have been working hard, making connections, and figuring out the steps necessary to make the Natural Burial Project a success. We have been in contact with an organization out of Madison, WI called Trust for Natural Legacies, Inc. who recently passed a motion to begin a Minnesota Chapter. We had a meeting yesterday with two other interested locals and decided that it was in everybody's best interest to go ahead and accept their proposal to head this chapter.

This means a one year commitment to TNL to advance their, and ultimately our, cause. We are going to work hard to gain memberships, educate the public, and establish land qualifications that will be benefitial in getting and maintaining a conservation cemetery in the, hopefully near, future.

Nicole has been nominated for the TNL Board of Directors and I'm certain she'll have no problem attaining a chair. This is great for her and also for the Minnesota Chapter since the board has to approve and pass any motions the state chapters proposes.

I am going to make a serious effort to keep this blog updated regularly and I think it's going to be easier now that the Natural Burial Project has made a significant decision to work with TNL for the next 12 months. We will be setting up a couple of dates soon to meet with volunteers from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and start giving informational presentations and workshops about natural burial for community outreach. If this is something you or anyone you know is interested in, contact us at NaturalBurialProject@gmail.com.

Minnesota Chapter of TNL:
President: Theresa Kay Purcell
Vice President: Nicole LaBissoniere
Secretary: Derek Farder
Treasurer: Theresa Peterson

An Introduction

Our organization is looking to start the first natural burial cemetery in Minnesota. Often called a green cemetery, a conservation cemetery, a memorial nature preserve or a memorial landscape, a natural burial cemetery allows us to remember our family and friends in a dignified manner while giving back to mother nature. Loved ones are buried without the use of embalming fluids, costly caskets, or concrete vaults. Biodegradable caskets or cotton shrouds will be used as an alternative to expensive leak-proof caskets. In place of headstones, we envision native plants that will thrive in the nutrient-rich soil and thus, the life cycle will continue. We acknowledge and respect the need for family members to return to love ones’ gravesides as part of the grieving process. Modern technology, in the form of GPS coordinates and hand-held equipment, will make this possible. And while the environmental benefits of land conservation and restoration are straightforward, natural burial is appealing for many other reasons. Included are monetary savings, spiritual or religious commitments, cultural ideals and both educational and recreational opportunities for the greater community. We will elaborate on these points in future blogs; in the mean time, this related link is a great resource: http://www.greenburialcouncil.org/