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.

"They wanted direction from the board," True said. "They haven't filed any sort of plan."

But DiBitetto has done his homework and plans to apply for a special permit from the Town of Merrimac. The property is landlocked from access from Merrimac, but DiBitetto said he already has a right of way from Newton, N.H.

DiBetetto said the idea to build a green cemetery came from the Essex County Greenbelt Association.

"They thought it was a good potential use of the site," Coan said. "Our thinking is the parcel would be put in a conservancy. That would help to preserve the land."

The proposed cemetery would be open to passive recreation such as walking and hiking.

Coan explained the criteria for a green cemetery "are to use only biodegradable material and no embalming. First is no formaldehyde embalming. The second is minimally no metal caskets and preferably locally grown pine or even a shroud or a cardboard box. The third thing is no concrete vault."

Concrete is not allowed because it does not break down, making it more difficult for the organic matter of the body to break down. But not having a vault can increase cave-ins. So green cemeteries must be extra careful with heavy equipment, or family and friends can hand-dig the graves.

Coan suggested these limitations have advantages.

"If you are trying to conserve land, you don't want heavy equipment in there," she said. "There are people who would point out that digging a hole can be therapeutic."

Even the type of grave marker is a consideration in a green cemetery. Coan said there are no standing stones because they require more maintenance, but flat markers are acceptable. Some cemeteries use naturally occurring materials such as a stone or a tree, with an emphasis on local fieldstone. Some graves are even marked by GPS (Global Positioning System).

Coan noted that, contrary to popular belief, there are no Massachusetts state laws requiring embalming, caskets, funeral directors or concrete vaults. However, some cemeteries may have their own requirements.

Coan said the proposed cemetery in Merrimac would incorporate the customs and ideas of area residents.

"We're kind of feeling our way," she said. "How do we bring in this newer concept while still respecting the sensibilities of the people who are here?"