Green Burials -- Not Yet Regulated

By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi
According to Tom Barlow, in The Byline, green cemeteries are not regulated by the Federal Trade Commission. As a result, definitions and practices may vary. However, a non-profit, Green Burial Council, has developed a rating system:
  1. Hybrid, which allow burials without anything to protect the casket, and accepts uncremated bodies.
  2. Natural Burial Grounds, which prohibit bodies embalmed with toxic chemicals, any features such as vault lids that would retard decomposition, any caskets not made of a natural material, and the grounds must be designed to maintain a natural appearance.
  3. Conservation Burial Grounds, which “must protect in perpetuity an area of land specifically and exclusively designated for conservation.

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