Alternative Funeral Monitor

Wisconsin Cemetery and Cremation - WCCA Reporter, Fall 2009

[Prairie Home natural cemetery manager David Brenner of Waukesha Wisconsin has a good article in here about transitioning his cemetery to natural burial - ed]

 About 2 years ago, I was reading various environmental articles about such things as carbon foot print, energy alternatives, rain gardens and a plethora of other such topics.  All of these articles spoke to new trends and things that one could do to be friendlier to mother earth.  I also saw writings that dealt with the move to “green” burials in England, and what was happening there since the 1990’s. 

I found it very intriguing that the new” trend was really talking about something very old, and a practice that is widely followed in many parts of the world today. 

Rhode Island: Assembly overrides veto of domestic partners’ funeral rights

Rhode Island General Assembly > Press Releases -- Assembly overrides veto of domestic partners’ funeral rights

STATE HOUSE – Overriding the governor’s veto, the General Assembly today approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Rhoda E. Perry and Rep. David A. Segal to provide domestic partners with the right to make funeral arrangements for their partners.

“Today we’re standing on the side of compassion. This veto was a heartless act against many Rhode Islanders – people who already suffer frequent discrimination and who are grieving the loss of a loved one. With this vote, we’re saying that we believe that everyone deserves the right to carry out the final wishes of his or her partner. Our state will not be in the business of discriminating against people in their time of mourning, nor making the death of a person’s partner even worse with unnecessary and unfair bureaucracy,” said Sen. Rhoda E. Perry (D-Dist. 3, Providence.)

Comptroller's office knew of Burr Oak remains in '03

via abclocal.go.com

- 1/30/10 - Chicago News - abc7chicago.com

January 29, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Executives of the Burr Oak Cemetery believed more than six years ago that bodies had been improperly buried. And the details of what they knew are in a confidential five-page memo obtained by the ABC7 I-Team.

The public didn't learn about what was happening at the historic black cemetery in southwest suburban Alsip until last May when a groundskeeper found some skeletons where they shouldn't have been.

An investigation then determined that hundreds of corpses had been dug up and moved - many dumped - in an elaborate scheme to re-sell burial plots. Four Burr Oak employees have been charged with felonies.

A five-page memo, marked confidential and obtained by the I-Team, reveals that Burr Oak's chief executive, Slivy Cotton, feared in 2003 that there was a grave selling plot underway.

A tree instead of a head stone . Lock up your carbon in a tree and not the at the atmosphere,leave a footprint to be proud of. Leave a cleaner world for future generations. www.greenhaven.org.uk

Langley eyes fees for green burials

via www.seattlepi.com

  By ROY JACOBSON
SOUTH WHIDBEY RECORD

The first reading of a proposed new fee schedule to include green burials at the city cemetery will occupy the Langley City Council at its meeting next week.

The council meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1, at city hall on Second Street.

The city’s Cemetery Board came up with a suggested price for the new green-burial plots at Langley Woodman Cemetery.

The cemetery has set aside 48 plots for green burials, which are done without cement grave liners or embalming, and involve biodegradable caskets or sheaths.

Green is the new black for funerals - Times Online

Rest in (eco) peace. Planning permission is being sought for Ireland’s first natural burial ground, where the occupiers’ graves would form the foundation of a native Irish forest.

Colin McAteer, founder of The Green Graveyard Company, has leased a 7.5-acre site at Woodbrook House in Wexford for the project. He believes a growing number of Irish people are interested in using their funeral as “a conservation tool”, and giving their burial ground a “second use and life”.

New Jersey Natural Burials and Green Funerals

Verona, NJ (PRWEB) January 19, 2010 -- Maryrest Cemetery in Mahwah, NJ, one of ten Catholic Cemeteries owned by the Archdiocese of Newark, NJ, has had its first interment in a new section of the cemetery dedicated entirely to Natural Burials / Green Funerals. It is believed that this is the first Archdiocesan cemetery in the state, perhaps in the country, that has an entire area reserved for the eco-friendly burial consumer.

via www.prweb.com

"GREEN BURIAL" in Sleepy Hollow, New York is now on Craigslist

Historic Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Unveils Green Burial space

The Riverview Natural Burial Grounds at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery provides a landscape of unmatched natural beauty for those seeking a ¡§Green Burial¡¨ option for themselves or their loved ones.

‘Make it more simple’ - Group envisions a ‘green’ ground on land in Jaffre

Group envisions a ‘green’ ground on land in Jaffrey

By Casey Farrar
Sentinel Staff

Published: Friday, January 15, 2010

JAFFREY — Right now, it’s an empty 5.7-acre field on Davidson Road in Jaffrey.

But members of the town’s Quaker Meeting hope that soon, they’ll have a 60-by 90-foot “green” burial ground in that field near the meetinghouse.

Pre-Paid Funeral Arrangements Becoming More Popular?

Source: SouthCoastToday.com
by Tom McGill

Most people have a family doctor, a lawyer, an accountant, maybe even a financial planner and a personal trainer; not many have a family funeral director.

Sitting down with a funeral director can accomplish three goals, according to the American Association of Retired Persons Web site (AARP.org). Map out a funeral in advance down to the last detail; free the family from making funeral arrangements in a time of grief, and provide the option of beating inflation by paying for the funeral in advance.

With 2 million deaths every year in the United States, according to the AARP ("Preplanning Your Funeral Arrangements"), and with funeral costs escalating at triple the rate of inflation, according to Funeral Help Program, the message from these and other consumer advocacy groups is — plan ahead.

Natural crossing :: Good :: New Zealand’s guide to sustainable living

Natural crossing :: Good :: New Zealand’s guide to sustainable living. 

December, 2009

[...this is a very well-written article about New Zealand's natural funeral movement... AFM Ed.]

When Steve Hill woke up in the early hours of the morning, his wife Helen was dead. He had been expecting something to happen that night. After four-and-a-half years fighting breast cancer, Helen’s strength had gone. She had pulled her oxygen tube out earlier in the evening, just before Steve got into bed beside her, and she’d asked him not to put it in again.

Their two young sons were asleep in the large Balmoral house. Steve woke Kane (six) and Nico (four) and brought them in to see their mum. They went straight to her, held her and cried. Over the next three days, as family and friends came and went, Helen remained in her bed. Her sisters chose her clothes and helped put ice packs around her body to prevent it deteriorating. A friend from the cosmetics company MAC, which Helen had launched in New Zealand, did her makeup; another friend styled her hair.

Steve slept next to her every night. Kane and Nico came in whenever they wanted to have a cuddle and talk to Mum. When the wicker coffin that Helen had chosen arrived, they placed it in the bedroom and the boys jumped up and down inside it. Helen was rarely alone. The house was full of people and activity. One of Helen’s sisters helped Steve carve messages into the flax that would be placed on top of her casket. Someone else arranged for a flock of doves to be released at the funeral.

The toxic legacy of death

Coffins are traditionally made of MDF or unsustainable hardwoods, lined with synthetic materials, and are carried using plastic handles. Some of these materials will never break down, while others take many years and leave behind all the toxins that went into their manufacture. Bodies are embalmed with a cocktail of chemicals, including formaldehyde. When bodies are buried, this known carcinogen can leach into the surrounding soil, polluting both it and the water table. Despite this, the funeral industry buries 1.5 million litres of formaldehyde every year.

Graves moved in Northeast cemetery to make way for parking lot | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/07/2009

Graves moved in Northeast cemetery to make way for parking lot | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/07/2009.

by Sam Wood

Once an estate owned by Declaration of Independence signer Benjamin Rush, the Knights of Pythias Greenwood Cemetery was chartered in 1869 as an inviting burial park with rolling hills and tree-lined paths.

Scores of veterans of the Civil War and Spanish American War are interred at the 44-acre burial ground in the Northeast. Perhaps its most famous residents are W.C. Fields' parents, James and Kate Dukenfield.

Now, on six muddy acres, archaeologists are digging up the remains of thousands of people. Since July, more than 1,500 bodies have been disinterred to make way for the Cancer Treatment Center of America's need for 200 parking spots.

Green Funerals « Vancouver Unitarians for Climate Action

Green Funerals « Vancouver Unitarians for Climate Action.

The City of Vancouver’s Mountain View Cemetery has been providing interment space for more than 100 years. The cemetery’s rules have always allowed for many elements of what is now referred to as “green burial”.

In addition to no requirements for outer containers or vaults, the cemetery continues to be one of the only cemeteries that offers families opportunities for multi-generational use of graves for casket burial – a practice that not only has “green” elements but is a significant factor to the overall sustainability of the city’s only cemetery.

A recent renovation of a portion of the cemetery has resulted in more than 2,000 new spaces for cremated remains, new buildings and facilities and opportunities for artists to display their funerary items. This is only the beginning of the new future for Mountain View Cemetery.

Natural burial grounds offer eco-friendly end-of-life alternative» Knoxville News Sentinel

Natural burial grounds offer eco-friendly end-of-life alternative» Knoxville News Sentinel.

When Marie Alcorn first mentioned the idea of having a green burial when she dies, her family had a hard time taking her seriously. "I've been thrifty all my life.

My family is used to my 'thinking outside the box' when it comes to ways to cut costs," says Alcorn, who lives in downtown Knoxville. Her family teased her about the idea, but for Alcorn, the joke soon became serious.

"The more I looked at it, I realized that it would be a good option. The whole focus is on being good stewards of the Earth," says Alcorn. "Now I'm seriously thinking about this alternative, although my children are having a hard time talking about anything relating to my death."

Daily Vanguard - To die a green death

Daily Vanguard - To die a green death.

By Robin Tinker

Vanguard staff

Not all of us will graduate college, give birth, win a Rose Bowl or even cook a Thanksgiving dinner, but we all will eventually die. Our own mortality and that of our loved ones is not something we spend a lot of time thinking about and planning for, but it should be.

We have a major taboo in our country regarding death. Our hush-hush attitude, besides being weird and unnatural, is arguably going to cause environmental problems. We cannot keep going forward with our current funeral practices without reexamination. Some in Oregon are starting to consider going green, even in death.

Saying ‘good bye’ and going out green | Editorial | Coast Reporter, Sunshine Coast, BC

Saying ‘good bye’ and going out green | Editorial | Coast Reporter, Sunshine Coast, BC.

It must be right at the top of the list of difficult things to talk about — death.

Few people cannot name at least one experience they’ve had with death that hasn’t forced them to confront their own mortality or somehow left a scar they carry with them. Usually the last aspect one might think of is the environment.

But there is one man on the Sunshine Coast who is seeking to change that. Gibsons resident Don Morris presented some of his ideas to the Sunshine Coast Regional District Nov. 19, claiming it is time for us to start taking a look at the way we exit this world to see if we can’t do it a bit greener.

Don is pitching the idea of green burials.

Death goes green with eco-friendly burials | Oregon Environmental News - – OregonLive.com

Death goes green with eco-friendly burials | Oregon Environmental News - – OregonLive.com.

Bruce Clark asked his family to fulfill a single last wish as he lay dying of cancer last month in his Eugene home: He wanted to be buried in a forest.

The request was true to Clark's environmental values. He believed that traditional burials and even cremations use far too many resources. His family didn't possess forestland, so they gave him the next best thing, a "green burial" beside his ancestors in a pioneer cemetery.

"He's in a good spot," said his sister, Megan Clark. "He would have liked it."

Funeral fair opens door to eco-friendly exits

Funeral fair opens door to eco-friendly exits.

It's hard to always be ecologically correct - especially when you're dead. In the Bay Area, however, it's getting easier to die green. No need for embalming fluids, mortuary wakes, fancy caskets and concrete vaults. Instead, a corpse can be propped up in bed at home to receive visitors one last time before returning to the earth, wrapped in a shroud or nestled in a biodegradable coffin.

Carlamuses: How to Piss Off the Fatally Ill

Carlamuses: How to Piss Off the Fatally Ill.

Monday, November 16, 2009
How to Piss Off the Fatally Ill

How to talk to someone with ALS: The Do’s and Don’ts 1) If someone tells you that they have ALS, do not respond by saying, “You know I’ve been getting these headaches. Do you think I have ALS?” I’m not saying never do this. You may do this if the ALS patient to whom you’re addressing is, let’s say, A FUCKING NEUROSURGEON. You may also say, “You know I’ve been getting these headaches. Do you think I have ALS?” if you’re okay with...

Environmentalism Goes Beyond the Grave - The Daily Californian

Environmentalism Goes Beyond the Grave - The Daily Californian.

By Kelly Strickland Contributing Writer Thursday, November 12, 2009 

Berkeley residents are known for being environmentally conscious, and last weekend, they had the opportunity to learn how to continue this passion while six feet under.

With a display of banana-leaf caskets and urns made of pumpkin gourds, a funeral fair held at Berkeley's Grace North Church hoped to educate people on eco-friendly burial options.

According to Liz O'Connell-Gates, one of the organizers of the event, the funeral fair was meant to show people that it is still possible to be environmentally conscious even in death.

Auspicious Jots: Funeral Directors Congregate - Boston Runs Low on Whiskey

Auspicious Jots: Funeral Directors Congregate - Boston Runs Low on Whiskey.

My apologies to the fine people of Boston, Massachusetts. I have spent my fifth work related trip there but have failed to see the sights or have a decent meal yet again. Somebody could make a fortune directing business travelers to a real restaurant, but that is a rant for another day.

Let's talk death, my friends! I went to another Funeral Convention. This was my fourth national convention and my worst fears have come true. A person CAN get used to walking into a convention center to the sight of acres of caskets, hearses, and urns. For the first time I did not get that jolting urge to run or laugh too loudly out of nervousness upon entering the convention center. Bummer.

Wal-Mart Selling Caskets, Urns Online - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

Wal-Mart Selling Caskets, Urns Online - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com.

MILWAUKEE — The world's largest retailer wants to keep its customers even after they die. Wal-Mart has started selling caskets on its Web site at prices that undercut many funeral homes, long the major seller of caskets.

The move follows a similar one by discount rival Costco, which also sells caskets on its site. Wal-Mart quietly put up about 15 caskets and dozens of urns on its Web site last week. Prices range from $999 for models like "Dad Remembered" and "Mom Remembered" steel caskets to the mid-level $1,699 "Executive Privilege." All are less than $2,000, except for the Sienna Bronze Casket, which sells for $3,199. Caskets ship within 48 hours.

Federal law requires funeral homes to accept third-party caskets. Returns are not accepted, the company says on its site, unless the product has been damaged during shipping. The caskets come from Star Legacy Funeral Network, Inc., a company based in McHenry, Illinois, that sells the same caskets for about the same price — some less — on its site, along with many others.

Getting back to basics: Green burials offered at historic cemetery | Shore News Today

Getting back to basics: Green burials offered at historic cemetery | Shore News Today.

STEELMANTOWN—Driving down Steelmantown Road there is a secluded wrought iron gate that peeks out of the woods and unless you were driving there specifically, you probably wouldn’t notice the wooden sign telling passersby what they have found. A rare find indeed, the Steelmantown Cemetery is one of 12 certified green burial sites in the nation. [hundreds of cemeteries around the country offer natural burials - in our opinion "certification " - a marketing strategy at this point - is not necessary and harms the public's ability to get easy access to a simple solution. AFM ed.]

People from as far north as Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., make it their last wish to be laid to rest at this forested burial ground.

Green burials date back to the beginning of mankind, long before anyone was being ‘green’ and long before there were other ways to bury someone. The concept is simple, go back into the earth in the most natural way possible. And to make sure Steelmantown Cemetery can only ever do green burials, Edward Bixby II had the property deed restricted.

Embalming Fluid Facility Cited for Formaldehyde Hazards -- Occupational Health & Safety

Embalming Fluid Facility Cited for Formaldehyde Hazards -- Occupational Health & Safety.

OSHA has cited The Dodge Co. Inc. for 41 alleged violations of workplace safety and health standards at its Cambridge, Mass., production plant.

The embalming fluid manufacturer faces $138,000 in fines for inadequate safeguards involving formaldehyde stored and used in manufacturing processes at the plant as well as for various chemical, mechanical, and electrical hazards identified during comprehensive inspections conducted over the past several months by OSHA's area office in Andover, Mass.

Embalming Fluid Facility Cited for Formaldehyde Hazards -- Occupational Health & Safety

Embalming Fluid Facility Cited for Formaldehyde Hazards -- Occupational Health & Safety.

OSHA has cited The Dodge Co. Inc. for 41 alleged violations of workplace safety and health standards at its Cambridge, Mass., production plant.

The embalming fluid manufacturer faces $138,000 in fines for inadequate safeguards involving formaldehyde stored and used in manufacturing processes at the plant as well as for various chemical, mechanical, and electrical hazards identified during comprehensive inspections conducted over the past several months by OSHA's area office in Andover, Mass.

White Columns Funeral Chapel Installs 5.8kW Solar Photovoltaic System from Soenso Energy | Atlanta Daybook

White Columns Funeral Chapel Installs 5.8kW Solar Photovoltaic System from Soenso Energy | Atlanta Daybook.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, October 13, 2009 –

Soenso Energy president, Roger K. Cone, today announced that work is complete on the installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system on the roof of White Columns Funeral Chapel in Mableton, Georgia.

This is believed to be the first installation of clean, renewable solar power on a funeral home in the state of Georgia. The 5.8kW system is designed to offset approximately 40% of the annual electricity energy needs of this facility in south Cobb County.

It Costs Money to Die - The Nation

It Costs Money to Die.

History Archive - December 19, 1928
Paul Blanshard: Forty-five years before Jessica Mitford's exposè of the funeral industry, Paul Blanshard found out just how expensive dying can be.

AMONG certain ancient tribes it was the custom to throw upon the funeral pyre the clothing, jewelry, and money belonging to the deceased. Occasionally a widow or a slave was thrown in for good measure. We in the United States do nothing so foolish. We merely throw into the grave annually several hundred million dollars. We throw it in in the form of bronze caskets, flowers, stone cases, silk paddings, gold handles, and mausoleums.

The corpse does not know the difference. Most of the American people if asked indi-vidually whether or not they wanted an ostentatious funeral would reply that they cared nothing whatever about what happened to their bodies after death. Yet the extravagant funeral is always with us.

Skipton burial site's national award (From Craven Herald)

Skipton burial site's national award (From Craven Herald).

Skipton’s Tarn Moor Memorial Woodland has won a national award.

It has been named the best green burial site at the Cemetery of the Year Awards (CYA). Last year it finished runner-up.

Manager Wendy Pratt received the award from the CYA’s Elisabeth Edvardsen on behalf of the Tarn Moor trustees. She said: “Everyone is delighted. We were runner-up last year and topped that this time.”

Burial sites were assessed on a range of criteria, including maintenance, design, facilities, freedom of memorial choice and involvement with communities.

CYA awards administrator Elisabeth Edvardsen said: “The awards endeavour to increase public awareness of the importance burial sites can play within their communities. “It is our aim to give our nation’s burial sites, and the people who ensure they are kept in good condition, the recognition they deserve – celebrating those sites that make a valuable contribution to their local area.

GPS Tracking LandAirSea | High-Tech GPS Tracking Helps Bury People the Old-Fashioned Way | GPS Tracking LandAirSea

GPS Tracking LandAirSea | High-Tech GPS Tracking Helps Bury People the Old-Fashioned Way | GPS Tracking LandAirSea.

It is common knowledge that vehicle tracking devices are an effective way to monitor moving objects such as cars, trucks, cargo, boats, planes, even backpacks and bicycles. But to think that GPS tracking technology is useful in tracking the dead, is an ironic twist indeed.

The dead don’t move – or at least they shouldn’t. But maps can be in error, municipal records inadvertently destroyed and human memories can fail. GPS tracking systems are the technologically –advanced way for people to find, mark and record the grave sites of loved ones, ancestors and individuals of historic significance.

To Casket Or Not To Casket? : NPR

To Casket Or Not To Casket? : NPR.

Bernd Heinrich knows his way around the woods. He has been studying beetles, caterpillars, moths, ravens, beetles, geese, bees, trees, beetles, and crows for years (and yes, I know I've mentioned beetles more than once, but so does Bernd and so does anybody who looks closely at living things in the forest). In his most recent book, Summer World, he tells the story of a letter he received that involves this beetle, the one you see tucked next to the dead shrew, below:

A family undertaking -- Caring for our dead

Published in the Christian Century
October 6, 2009

by Holly Stevens

When Harriet Ericson died in January 2007 at age 93, she went to the grave in the same manner in which she lived her final years—lovingly tended by her son Rodger Ericson of Austin, Texas. A former U.S. Air Force chaplain and Lutheran pastor (ELCA), Ericson bathed, anointed and dressed his mother's body, then laid it in a casket he had built himself and named "hope chest" to reflect the family's faith in the resurrection. The next day, with the help of his daughters and grandsons, he lifted her casketed remains into the bed of his pickup truck and secured the precious cargo for a road trek to Minnesota, where a family grave plot was waiting.

Except for the preparation of the grave, Ericson took care of all the details that would usually be handed to a commercial mortician. Ericson was, in effect, his mother's funeral director—and it was all completely legal.

Keith Floyd buried in coffin made from banana leaves as stars pay last respects to the TV chef | Mail Online

Keith Floyd buried in coffin made from banana leaves as stars pay last respects to the TV chef | Mail Online.

'You gave us rock'n'roll on a plate': Daughter leads tributes as Keith Floyd is cremated in coffin made from banana leaves

By Daily Mail Reporter
 01st October 2009 * Comments (80) *

 Take a large measure of honesty, mix with humour, add a dash of irreverence and sprinkle with poignancy. Garnish with plenty of rock ’n’ roll. And to finish? Something unusual in the shape of a coffin made from banana leaves.

This was the recipe for Keith Floyd’s send- off yesterday, and if he was watching somewhere he doubtless would have given it his hearty approval, smiled and had a slurp.

Bodies pile up in Detroit morgue; poor can't afford burial - Oct. 1, 2009

Bodies pile up in Detroit morgue; poor can't afford burial - Oct. 1, 2009.

By Poppy Harlow, CNNMoney.com anchor
October 1, 2009
DETROIT (CNNMoney.com) -- At 1300 E. Warren St., you can smell the plight of Detroit. Inside the Wayne County morgue in midtown Detroit, 67 bodies are piled up, unclaimed, in the freezing temperatures. Neither the families nor the county can afford to bury the corpses. So they stack up inside the freezer.

Albert Samuels, chief investigator for the morgue, said he has never seen anything like it during his 13 years on the job. "Some people don't come forward even though they know the people are here," said the former Detroit cop. "They don't have the money."

Lifelong Detroit residents Darrell and Cheryl Vickers understand this firsthand. On a chilly September morning they had to visit the freezer to identify the body of Darrell's aunt, Nancy Graham -- and say their goodbyes.

The couple, already financially strained, don't have the $695 needed to cremate her. Other family members, mostly in Florida, don't have the means to contribute, either. In fact, when Darrell's grandmother passed recently, his father paid for the cremation on a credit card -- at 21% interest.

Cemetery would break new ground in being 'green' - NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA

Cemetery would break new ground in being 'green' - NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA.

By Robin Thomas correspondent
MERRIMAC — Newburyport has its wind turbine and solar panels, but a Merrimac property owner has an environmentally friendly proposal that no town in the state can match.

Bradford resident John DiBitetto wants to build the Bay State's first "green" cemetery on 35 acres off Hadley Road, land he has owned since the 1960s.

"I think it's a very viable use of the land, as well as a viable use to the town," he said. DiBitetto appeared before the Planning Board earlier this month with Robert Lippe, a cemetery developer, and Carol Coan of the Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) of Western Massachusetts. Town Clerk Pat True said the meeting was very preliminary.

Fort Collins in forefront of "green" burial movement - The Denver Post

Fort Collins in forefront of "green" burial movement - The Denver Post.

By Monte Whaley
The Denver Post Posted:
09/17/2009

Phil Carpenter doesn't believe Fort Collins is doing anything new by setting aside a 1-acre piece of the city cemetery for people to be laid to rest without benefit of a vault or embalming.

Heck, he says, this "green" burial movement is really about revisiting America's frontier days. "We're basically going back to the 1860s," said Carpenter, the city's supervisor of cemeteries.

"Back then, when you wanted to bury Grandma, you wrapped her up in a quilt and put her in the ground," he said.

Still, Carpenter is proud Fort Collins is pioneering green burials on the Front Range.

Alan Watson's computer "urn". Yes he's really in there. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Alan Watson's computer "urn". Yes he's really in there. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!.
Here is an original photo of the computer case:
www.flickr.com/photos/26445696@N04/3976121310/in/photostr...

What's to be done with their corporeal remains after a geek has left for that great data bank in the sky?

For my recently departed brother (long illness, Don't Smoke!!!), I thought this nice SPARCstation would be a cool place to spend eternity. Yes, he's really in there (after cremation). I kept the floppy drive cover but for space reasons removed the floppy drive, hard drive, and most of the power supply. I left behind the motherboard and power switch and plugs to keep all openings covered. The case worked quite well at his memorial party. His friends and family were able to leave their final good-byes on post-it notes.

 Anyone who wanted to keep their words private could just slip their note into the case through the floppy slot. (See the next photo. ) All notes will be sealed in plastic and placed within the case. There has been one complication. His daughters like the look of it so much they aren't now sure if they want to bury him. One more thing: the words on the plaque really do capture one of the last things he ever said. Of course as kids we watched the original show in its first run.

Here is his obit:
www.legacy.com/TIMESWV/Obituaries.asp?Page=Notice&Per...

Ecological burials get their day in Lafayette | jconline.com | Journal and Courier

Ecological burials get their day in Lafayette | jconline.com | Journal and Courier.

By BOB SCOTT • bscott@jconline.com • September 25, 2009

More than 35 representatives from state, county and federal agencies attended a conference Thursday about the Green Burial Project.

The conference at the Hippensteel Tribute Center included a trip to nearby Spring Vale Cemetery, which has a two-acre green site with five graves.

Last fall, it became the first green cemetery in the state. The Tippecanoe County Soil & Water Conservation District was honored with the District Showcase Award by the Indiana Conservation Partnership for its efforts with Spring Vale Cemetery and Hippensteel Funeral Home and Crematory.

Rep. Bobby Rush introduces cemetery oversight act - Chicago Tribune

Rep. Bobby Rush introduces cemetery oversight act - Chicago Tribune.

By Joel Hood
September 22, 2009

U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush unveiled legislation Monday that would expand the powers of the federal government by creating a new level of oversight for cemeteries to prevent the kind of abuses seen at Burr Oak Cemetery and to others.

The Bereaved Consumers Protection Act would force cemetery directors to bolster their record keeping and make those records available to federal, state and local officials.

It also creates a kind of consumer Bill of Rights for cemeteries, prohibiting directors from misleading customers about the prices of funeral goods and services, and clarifying contracts for burial plots, entombments and inurnments.

Press Release: Rush introduces Bereaved Consumers Protection Act to ensure that what happened at Burr Oak Cemetery never happens again in U.S. | Congressman Bobby Rush - Serving Illinois' 1st District

Press Release: Rush introduces Bereaved Consumers Protection Act to ensure that what happened at Burr Oak Cemetery never happens again in U.S. | Congressman Bobby Rush - Serving Illinois' 1st District.

CHICAGO -- "On July 27, 2009, I convened a Congressional field hearing in this very building [Dirksen Federal Building]. The hearing was called in response to horrifying allegations of grave desecration and tampering at Burr Oak cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. At that hearing, some of the survivors of Burr Oak's buried, including Ms. Roxie Williams, who is with us today, told us how Burr Oak affected them emotionally and financially. They gave personal accounts of how their lives were scarred and feelings of loss resurfaced, when they learned that their loved ones' final resting places had been disturbed, allegedly, by four cemetery employees.

Pre-Need Funeral Contract Fraud - The Newest "Too Big To Fail" - FoxChicago Blog post

Pre-Need Funeral Contract Fraud - The Newest "Too Big To Fail" - FoxChicago Blog post.

Pick a state...any state. I'm generally not the gambling type, but I would bet my eye teeth that there is some type of funeral or pre-need funeral contract fraud litigation active in all 50 states as we speak.

The most recent headline whores are the Illinois Funeral Directors Association (IFDA), the Virginia Funeral Directors Association (VFDA) and a basketful of Mississippi funeral homes who sold pre-need funeral contracts, but somehow missed the fact that the money paid by trusting consumers was not a personal check made out to them. Okay, one at a time...let's not get overwhelmed in the greed grab.

Long Island News - Green Funerals Come to Long Island | Long Island Press Releases

Long Island News - Green Funerals Come to Long Island | Long Island Press Releases.

(Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.)

Long Island’s leading family-owned and operated funeral home group is offering green end-of-life options, among the first in the region to do so.

“We are offering more ethical and environmentally sustainable products to those who wish to return to the earth more simply and naturally.” said Peter Maloney (photo right), partner of Moloney Family Funeral Homes.

FSPA seeks ‘natural burial’ cemetery

FSPA seeks ‘natural burial’ cemetery.

 By RICHARD MIAL | rmial@lacrossetribune.com
| Posted: Saturday, August 29, 2009 12:05 am

TOWN OF GREENFIELD - The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration have approached La Crosse County about having a "natural burial" cemetery next to Villa St. Joseph nursing home. Natural burial means no burial vaults and no embalming.

Sisters who choose this style likely would be wrapped in a simple shroud and "buried with all the Catholic rituals," said Sister Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA president. "We would be wrapped or placed in a simple, biodegradable container," said Sister Sharon Berger, who has been working on natural burial issues.

Historic Cemetery adds "Natural"

NBC40.net :: News.

STEELMANTOWN-- A little known cemetery that dates back to colonial times has been restored back to its natural beauty.

This Cape May County cemetery is the only in the state to practice what's known as natural burial all to preserve the beautiful forest surrounding it. Jennifer Husko takes us on a tour of this preserved sanctuary.

Built over 300 years ago, the Steelmantown Cemetery located in the Steelmantown section of Upper Township lies on 9 acres of pinelands forests and is surrounded by 100's of acres of the Belleplain State Forest.

 "Essentially what we're walking through is a traditional burial ground that dates back to the mid 1700's," described owner, Ed Bixby.

Horse Drawn Hearse for Sale - Classified ad

http://my.att.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=16&groupid=335861&ck=

[This was too cool so we had to post it!! note the wicker coffin in the back, called a "removals basket"  ed.]

We are offering our original horse-drawn hearse that was used in the owner's funeral home in Blytheville, Arkansas by the present owner's grandfather.  It dates to the late 1800's and is in excellent condition. The only work needed for it to be workable is some stabilizing done to the wheels.  Last used in downtown display event in 2000. 

Features include:

• Side scalloped windows with firm name in removable panels
• Back opens with two glass doors
• Roller table inside
• Small vases for flowers in windows
• Horsehair seat
• Inside dimension are 90" long and 38" wide.

Asking $12,000.  Hearse also features the wicker basket originally used to remove the deceased. It may be purchased separately for $2,500.  For more information contact Bill Stovall at (843) 708-3826 or bill.stovall@comcast.net.

More pictures at:
http://my.att.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=16&groupid=335861&ck=

Frugal & Green Funerals | The Frugal Yankee

Frugal & Green Funerals | The Frugal Yankee.

Frugal Yankees everywhere try to save money while they are alive, but what about when you are dead? There are several movements trending across the country. Cremations have risen from virtually nothing 50 years ago to over 33% today. Then there are eco-pods and other green alternatives. The Frugal Yankee has looked into this. Here is what we found.

New York Cemeteries 'dying from neglect'

AMNY-NY_Cemeteries_Dying_from_Neglect.pdf (application/pdf Object).

Mickelson/amNY)
By Rolando Pujol
The deceased outnumber the living in New York, a reminder that the city is as much a metropolis as it is a necropolis.

That reality is easy to miss, yet tiny cemeteries lie tucked on Manhattan side streets, and 20,000 souls rest fitfully beneath Washington Square Park. But then there are dozens of smaller historic cemeteries, some of which have been neglected. In certain cases, these outer-borough cemeteries have become trash dumps and havens for drug addicts. They become overgrown with weeds, trees, or worse, attract grave vandals.

American Cemeteries Dying of Neglect - Bayside Cemetery

Video Library - wcbstv.com.

This is a CBS video that explores the increasing problems with management in perpetual care cemeteries. [wait for the commercial to finish playing]

Read up on John Lucher's class-action lawsuit against the owners of Bayside Cemetery, Queens New York. - http://site.baysidecemeterylitigation.com/

Additional Links:

Offering TLC For Jewish Cemeteries - The Forward - July 31 2009

Has Bayside Buried Its Troubled Past - Jewish Week - July 14 2009

Bayside Cleanup Efforts - Jewish Week - July 14 2009

Northern Courier

Northern Courier.

What’s the plot?
By Jamie Melbourne-Hayward

Decisions around choosing a final resting place in the ground affects 30 percent of New Zealanders. Makara Cemetery is Wellington’s largest and hosts the country's first natural burial area; an idea that involves planting trees atop of plots with the intention of growing a forest.

 A year on from Makara’s first eco burial there has been little change from the norm, and finding space for burials is not an issue. Sexton for Wellington City’s cemeteries Jeff Paris says it’s a myth that people are buried vertically to save space. “No one, not even at the eco burial sites, is buried feet down. That’s an old myth, and doesn’t happen in Wellington. “Some cemeteries’, such as Tawa Flat Lawn, can have multiple burials on the same family plot,” says Mr Paris. Tawa and Karori are ‘closed’ cemeteries, and only occasionally someone is buried there in a family plot.

 For a natural burial the body is not embalmed, the casket is made of plain material that can be easily broken down, and the plots are shallow. “A year on from the first eco burial and we have had 15 people in the natural cemetery; there is not much demand for the natural burials right now,” says Mr Paris. Porirua City has two closed cemeteries, Whenua Tapu and Porirua, and a larger Pauatahanui Burial Ground. Porirua City Saxton Marty Climo says, “Eco burials are an expensive option that requires a lot of land”.

There is no natural burial site at Pauatahanui, but Mr Climo says they see different versions of caskets being put in the ground. “I’ve been at this for 16 years, and everything has more or less remained the same. “There has been the shift that allows Catholics to be cremated, and the average rate in the country is 30 per cent buried and 70 per cent cremated,” he says. He says there doesn’t seem to be much interest in eco burials at the moment.

this ain't livin' » Goodness on Six Feet Under

this ain't livin' » Goodness on Six Feet Under.

After my discussion about content on Six Feet Under which kind of startled and upset me, I thought that it would only be fair to talk about content which pleased and excited me, because it really is a great series, even if I disliked some of the content. After all, the bits that irritated me were a tiny fraction of the whole, and it wouldn’t be entirely fair to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

 There’s a reason the show won numerous accolades and awards, after all. (People who haven’t seen the show should be aware that there are ample spoilers in this post!) One of the things that I really loved about the show was the depiction of natural burial and the realities of the funeral business.

I loved the scene in which Nate performed a renegade natural burial for Lisa, against the wishes of her family, and Nate’s burial is an equally powerful moment in the show. The whole concept of natural burial was pretty unfamiliar for viewers when the show was airing (and probably still is for many people), and it was nice to see it portrayed in a positive way, especially on a show about death and burial which revolved around a funeral home, with a funeral director opting for a natural burial when he dies.

Debate over natural burial idea heats up - Local News - News - General - The Daily Advertiser

Debate over natural burial idea heats up - Local News - News - General - The Daily Advertiser.

DEBATE over the proposed natural burial study heated up last night after councillor Clint Uden labelled the practice "21st century paganism".

The topic was a controversial motion from councillor Ray Goodlass at Wagga City Council's full meeting and was attacked by Cr Uden and Cr Kevin Wales. Following the discussion, the motion was passed, six votes to two, with several councillors standing up to back the idea.

However, it was Cr Uden's short but sharp attack on the idea that got the meeting's attention. "Surely, this is 21st century paganism, it is certainly not Christian," he said. "In death people should be given dignity and respect. I think the idea is absolutely absurd."

Cr Wales said natural burial was a practice more akin to the communities of Byron Bay and Nimbin than Wagga. "They are a different sort of people to those in Wagga. Any study, I believe, would be a waste of council's time as community members who want to bury their loved ones with dignity would not accept this idea," he said.

Cr Goodlass defended the idea, saying it was far from a north coast hippy notion. "Natural burial is becoming more mainstream, it is now an accepted practice in Western Australia, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania," he said.