Bury Me Green - Eco (Green) Burial, Natural Burial and Where to find it

The Eco-Cemetery movement has gained quite a bit of momentum in the U.S. at long last. Being somewhat of an armchair environmentalist for years I have to admit that though I'd silently dreamed of such a burial for myself, my first real knowledge that such eco friendly funerals even existed was from watching an episode of the HBO series Six Feet Under a few years back. That show had my Googlefinger twitching and several hours later I had discovered that I wasn't alone. Other people had the same thoughts and had already turned thought into action. I wouldn't have to be pumped full of chemicals or painted up and put into a hermetically sealed heavy metal or rainforest hardwood display case before I am returned to the earth from which I came. This news made me exceedingly happy, as did the apparent low cost of such a natural burial.

"An eco-cemetery also known as a green burial ground, or a natural burial preserve, where the body is returned to the earth to decompose and recycle naturally, is an environmentally sustainable alternative to existing funeral practices." (from Wikipedia)

This video is an excellent primer on the Eco-Burial movement and how it works:

In a nutshell, Americans now have the option to be buried without embalming, without an expensive casket or gravestone or being surrounded by cement. You can choose, like Europeans have been able to do for many years, to be buried in a nature preserve as simply as you choose. A GPS tracking device will mark your final resting place for future visits and instead of being surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of cement and marble headstones, your body will be surrounded by the beauty of the earth. Trees will be by grave markers, wildlife will celebrate my life.

I've personally never understood our society's macabre need to put our dead on display before burial. Why do we spend thousands of dollars to make our deceased loved ones presentable again only to put them in an overpriced box to be buried under six feet of earth? For years I wanted to be cremated because that was the only method I knew that would allow me to be chemical-free after this life cycle has ended. I do my best to lead as natural a life as is possible including limiting the number and amounts of chemicals that enter my body. Because I'm a non-heterosexual, my blood and organs are not fit for donation to another human (only for research) and therefore unless those laws change in time for me to change my Living Will, I'll be taking everything that came with me, with me when I go.

FOR MORE INFO:

Eco-cemetery @ Wikipedia
Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve (DeFuniak Springs, FL)
Greensprings Natural Cemetery (Newfield, NY)
Honey Creek Woodlands (Conyers, GA)
Ramsey Creek Preserve (Westminster, SC)
Natural Funeral Monitor

UPDATE (04 21 08) - CNN has posted a story in the past few hours about Eco-funerals that contains some great information. Check it out!