Green Funeral Home Operation: A Business Development Report

This report provides a detailed analysis of green funeral home operations, emphasizing their environmentally friendly practices. It explores the concept of green burials, which prioritize minimal environmental impact through the conservation of natural resources, preservation of the environment, and worker health protection. The report highlights the use of biodegradable materials like green caskets, the importance of green cemeteries, and the benefits of avoiding embalming chemicals. It also discusses the cost-effectiveness of green funerals, the preservation of natural areas, and how to implement green burial practices. The report concludes by advocating for the adoption of green funerals as a sustainable alternative to traditional methods, emphasizing their positive impact on both the environment and human well-being. It references various academic sources to support its claims and recommendations.

Surname 1
Student
Instructor
Course
Date
Funeral Home Operation
Green funeral is an event of burial where the activities and body to be buried leaves little
or no impact on the earth. The fundamental areas of consideration are conservation of natural
resources, a preserve of the environment, and protection of the health of workers therein. Over
time, people have explored other means of burial that have a significant effect on the
environment, reducing areas for cultivation and depleting resources (Zeng William, and Cheng
990). The use of green burial using green products through green cemetery and burial grounds
remains viable in leaving less impact on the environment. Traditionally, people used to be buried
in this way before the emergence of commercialized funerals. The green burial methods appeal
to the religious traditions in the Muslim and Jewish traditional ceremonies.
Green Burial Resources
The use of green caskets made from sustainable materials that come from renewable
resources. Such materials are friendly to the environment and disintegrate well in the process
after that. As opposed to the presentation materials in making caskets such as wood and steel, not
made from sustainable ways, green burial encourages the use of materials from renewable
sources and those which do not harm the environment (Beard and William 51). The green casket
composes of elements biodegradable, toxin-free, and produce no carbon to the soil.
Commercially produced containers contain steel and chemical treatments which take long to
break even in the soil thus posing issues to the environment.

Surname 2
At the same time, the use of mechanized means of lowering the body can be avoided, and
the use of canvas straps and ropes embraced where the mourners drop flowers in the open grave
as a final tribute as opposed to placing it on top of a grave. The transportation of the material
would require more energy thus leading to increased carbon emission which affects the green
environment (Yarwood 173). The practice would help in protecting the environment and
reducing effects of non-biodegradable elements to the environment. The natural way of digging a
grave is encouraged where after the process family members can plant flowers on top of the
grave as opposed to cementing.
Green Cemetery
Green cemetery refer to sites for burial which do not allow vaults, caskets non-
biodegradable and the use of embalming chemicals in body conservation. At the same time, such
sites do not use pesticides or herbicides for maintenance of their grounds. Green funeral commits
itself to the use of green cemetery and other natural reasons for burial. The type of burial
prohibits the use of the outer cover of burial containers in a bid to maintain a natural habitat that
encourages thriving of animals and plants (Rempel 6). The process deviates from the
conventional types which use herbicides to maintain grounds, which affects the soil.
Green burial assists workers as there is no embalming thus safeguarding the lives of
employees and the environment. The green funeral uses formaldehyde alternatives to
embalmment by using essential oils that are approved and less harmful to the environment
(Harrison 64). Green caskets are developed by companies that are certified to be producing
containers in safe environments and from materials that are environmentally friendly. The
benefits are passed to the environment where they are chemical free and release less carbon to
the environment.

Surname 3
Benefits of Green Burial
Green burials have diverse sets of benefits which not only pass the benefits to the
environment but also to human beings working in the respective areas. First, the materials are
simple to make and obtain as seen in the documents required to wrap a body and have it buried
in that way. Secondly, it is cost-effective as opposed to the fancy caskets which cost a lot of
money. A lot of costs is saved right from the body treatment process to the burial event and
subsequent burial sites.
Elimination of hazardous chemicals is ensured through the process as the embalming
process used in the conventional field is avoided thus avoiding the carcinogenic effect to the soil.
The business assists in conserving the natural environment through the use of natural resources.
The use of green economy occurs through the use of ecological resources that are renewable as
opposed to wood and the steel which remain scanty (Johnson 3). Preserve of the natural areas
takes place in the case where green burial sites allow other activities to go on, such as trees,
flowers, and birds. At the same such areas do not use fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides thus
maintaining a green environment.
How to Use Green Funeral
There are sites and companies that specialize in green burial activities and are, thus
important to be explored. In remaining ethical, there is a need for individuals to avoid the use of
embalmment and use natural means (Bin and Yang 2). At the same time, it is important to
consult and seek services of natural casket makers consisting of elements that are friendly to the
environment (Butz 12). Securing the services of a funeral service that adheres to the specification
assist in remaining responsible and selection of proper burial grounds that support development.

Surname 4
Recommendation
There is a need for people to consider the nature of green burial and its benefits as
opposed to the use of the commercialized process of burial. A lot of money can be saved in the
process of using the green funeral while preserving the environment in the process. At the same
time, selecting green burial sites is essential to safeguarding the environment through the use of
natural maintenance resources. The use of expensive and environment threatening sources should
be discouraged at all times to ensure a preserve of the environment. The growing concern and
threat to preserving of trees ought to draw challenges to individuals.
Conclusion
Green funeral is a practice that caters to the need of the environment. In diverse ways, the
method returns to the traditional forms of burial that was considerate to the environment. A lot of
issues can be avoided through the use of green burial as it is less costly, simple, and
environmentally friendly. Thus, there is a reason to embrace the method in the spirit of building
and preserving a green revolution.

Surname 5
Works Cited
Beard, Virginia R., and William C. Burger. "Change and Innovation in the Funeral Industry: A
Typology of Motivations." OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying 75.1 (2017): 47-68.
Bin, Wu, and Yang Qian. "Discussion on the City's Green Funeral Infrastructure Construction
and Ecological Environment Protection." Guangdong Chemical Industry 11 (2013): 075.
Butz, Bob. Going out Green : One Man's Adventure Planning His Own Burial. Spirituality &
Health Books, 2009. EBSCOhost.
Harrison, F. "Living memory: The green approach to funerals." COUNTRY LIVING-
LONDON- (1996): 62-67.
Johnson, Wendell. "Green Funerals." America Goes Green: An Encyclopedia of Eco-Friendly
Culture in the United States, 2012. EBSCOhost, 165.193.178
Rempel, Karen. Green Funerals: An Application of Transpersonal Psychology and
Ecopsychology Promoting Environmentally Friendly Body Disposition Choices. Diss. Naropa
University, 2007.
Yarwood, Richard, et al. "Sustainable deathstyles? The geography of green burials in
Britain." The Geographical Journal 181.2 (2015): 172-184.
Zeng, Chen, William Sweet, and Qian Cheng. "Ecological Citizenship and Green Burial in
China." Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 29.6 (2016): 985-1001.