Green Burial: The Complete Guide to Eco-Friendly Death

Traditional burial has a significant environmental footprint. Each year, American cemeteries bury approximately 800,000 gallons of embalming fluid (which contains formaldehyde, a known carcinogen), 1.6 million tons of reinforced concrete (for burial vaults), and 30 million board feet of hardwood. Cremation, while less land-intensive, releases approximately 540 pounds of carbon dioxide per cremation.

For a growing number of Americans, this matters. As environmental consciousness has increased, so has interest in alternatives that return the body to the earth more gently. Here is a guide to the options.

Start with the Green Burial Council's cemetery directory at greenburialcouncil.org. It is a searchable map of certified providers across North America. You can search by location, filter by distance, and see whether each cemetery is certified as hybrid, natural, or conservation.

If you want the strictest standard, look for a conservation burial ground: land protected by a conservation easement or held by a land trust, with stronger preservation rules than other green cemeteries. If the map shows nothing near you, call conventional cemeteries directly and ask whether any section allows burial without a vault. Some do without ever seeking certification.

Questions to ask before you buy a plot:

Do you require a vault or grave liner? If the answer is yes for every section, it is not a green burial.

Do you allow shroud burial, or is a container required?

How are graves marked? Flat stone, native planting, and GPS coordinates are the common options.

Can the family be present for the burial, or help fill the grave? Policies differ.

Who maintains the land, and what happens if the cemetery closes or changes hands? A conservation easement is attached to the land and survives a sale. A verbal promise does not.

Get the answers in writing before any money changes hands.

Green burial usually costs less than conventional burial, and the reason is what you are not buying: no embalming, no metal casket, no concrete vault, no polished granite headstone.

The ranges from this guide, pulled together in one place:

Natural burial: $1,000–$4,000, against $8,000–$12,000 for a conventional burial.

Aquamation: $2,000–$3,500. Somewhat more than direct flame cremation, less than conventional burial.

Human composting: approximately $7,000–$8,000. The most expensive green option, comparable in price to a conventional burial. Prices are expected to fall as more providers open.

Prices vary by region and by cemetery type. Before you commit, get a complete itemized price list and ask what the plot price includes: opening and closing the grave, the marker, ongoing care of the land. For the conventional numbers in full, see how much a funeral costs in 2026.

Green burial means burying a body so it can decompose naturally and return to the soil. In practice, that requires three things: no embalming, no concrete vault or grave liner, and a container that biodegrades. A shroud, a wicker casket, or a plain wooden box all qualify. The ground matters too. Certified green cemeteries manage their land without pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers.

"Green burial" and "natural burial" describe the same practice, and you will see the terms used interchangeably. The Green Burial Council, the nonprofit that sets the standards, certifies three kinds of burial grounds: hybrid cemeteries (conventional cemeteries with a section that permits burial without a vault), natural burial grounds (land dedicated to green burial and managed for it), and conservation burial grounds (burial grounds on land protected by a conservation easement or held by a land trust).

What disqualifies a burial from being green is simple: formaldehyde embalming, a metal casket, or a concrete vault. A conventional American burial uses all three.

The green burial movement has grown significantly over the past decade. The Green Burial Council, which certifies green burial providers, has seen its membership grow from a handful of providers in 2005 to more than 300 certified cemeteries and funeral homes today.

The growth is driven by several factors: environmental concern, cost (green burial is typically less expensive than conventional burial), a desire for a more natural death experience, and the broader cultural shift toward personalization in end-of-life rituals.

Millennials are a significant driver of the trend. Surveys consistently find that younger Americans are more interested in eco-friendly death options than older generations. And as they age into the demographic that makes end-of-life decisions, the market is responding.

Natural burial is the simplest and most widely available green option. It involves burying the body without embalming, in a biodegradable container (a shroud, a wicker casket, or a simple wooden box), in a cemetery that does not require a burial vault.

The body decomposes naturally, returning its nutrients to the soil. In a natural burial cemetery, the grave is typically marked with a native plant, a stone, or GPS coordinates rather than a headstone. The cemetery itself is managed as a natural habitat rather than a manicured lawn.

Natural burial is legal in 50 states and Washington DC, though regulations vary. Some states require a burial container of some kind; others allow shroud burial. The Green Burial Council maintains a directory of certified natural burial cemeteries at greenburialcouncil.org.

Cost: Natural burial typically costs $1,000–$4,000, compared to $8,000–$12,000 for a conventional burial. The savings come primarily from eliminating embalming and the burial vault.

Aquamation, also called alkaline hydrolysis, water cremation, or bio-cremation, is a process that uses water, heat, and alkali to dissolve the soft tissue of the body, leaving only the bones. The bones are then processed into a fine powder, similar to the "ashes" from flame cremation, and returned to the family.

The process uses about 90% less energy than flame cremation and produces no direct carbon emissions. The liquid byproduct is sterile and can be safely disposed of in the municipal water system.

Aquamation is legal in approximately 28 states as of 2026, with more states considering legislation. It is not yet universally available. You will need to check whether there is a provider in your area. The Green Burial Council maintains a directory of providers.

Cost: Aquamation typically costs $2,000–$3,500, somewhat more than direct flame cremation but less than conventional burial.

Notable: Archbishop Desmond Tutu chose aquamation for his own remains in 2021, bringing significant international attention to the option.

Human composting, officially called Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), is the newest and most dramatic of the green burial options. The body is placed in a vessel with wood chips, alfalfa, and straw. Over approximately 30–60 days, microbial activity breaks down the body into approximately one cubic yard of nutrient-rich compost.

The family can receive the compost and use it in a garden, or donate it to conservation land. The process uses about 87% less energy than conventional burial and sequesters carbon rather than releasing it.

Human composting is currently legal in Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, California, New York, Nevada, Arizona, Minnesota, and a handful of other states. The pioneer company in the space, Recompose, is based in Seattle and has been operating since 2020.

Cost: Human composting currently costs approximately $7,000–$8,000, making it comparable in price to conventional burial. Advocates expect prices to decrease as the industry scales.

Mushroom burial suits: Biodegradable suits or shrouds embedded with mushroom spores that accelerate decomposition and neutralize toxins. Available from companies like Coeio. Used in natural burial settings.

Memorial reefs: Cremated remains are mixed with concrete and formed into artificial reef structures that are placed on the ocean floor. Companies like Eternal Reefs operate in coastal states.

Tree burial: Cremated remains are mixed with soil and used to nurture a tree. Several companies offer memorial tree services, and some natural burial cemeteries allow tree planting over a grave.

Space burial: A small portion of cremated remains can be launched into space. Companies like Celestis offer this service, though it is expensive ($2,500–$12,500) and involves only a small portion of the remains.

If you want a green burial, the most important thing you can do is document your wishes and tell someone. Green burial options are not yet universally available, and funeral homes vary widely in their familiarity with them. A family that doesn't know your wishes may default to conventional options simply because they don't know what else to do. Put your wishes in writing. An advance directive is the right place to document disposition preferences alongside your healthcare wishes.

Write your preferences in your advance directive or a separate document. Specify: the type of disposition you want, the provider you have researched, and any specific wishes (e.g., no embalming, biodegradable container only).

Research providers in your area. The Green Burial Council's directory is the best starting point. If you live in an area without green burial options, consider pre-arranging with a provider in a nearby area, or pre-paying for transport to a provider of your choice.

Consider pre-planning. Many green burial providers offer pre-arrangement services, allowing you to lock in your wishes and, in some cases, the price.