Natural Funeral Monitor

Ashland, Oregon changes Municipal Code to allow natural burial

GROUNDED IN NATURE

City OKs 'green' burials

Council changes municipal code in order to accommodate growing demand for services

By Vickie Aldous

Ashland Daily TidingsPosted: 2:00 AM May 24, 2010

Residents who want to bury loved ones in an environmentally sensitive way in Ashland no longer have to place the casket or shroud inside a concrete or metal liner or vault.

The Ashland City Council voted on Tuesday to allow such "green" burials in city cemeteries.

Previously, the Ashland Municipal Code required the use of liners or vaults to prevent settling of the ground at the grave site. City staff members who manage city cemeteries said they expect some settling to occur with green burials, but that the problem isn't anything they can't handle.

The city of Ashland made the change because it has been receiving requests from residents that green burials be allowed, said Ashland Public Works Director Mike Faught.

Metro Times - News Views: Grave debate

Metro Times - News Views: Grave debate.

As octogenarians, Ann Arbor residents Jean and John King are, not surprisingly, giving some thought to what will be done with their remains after they pass.

But, because they live in Michigan, their options are limited.

Jean King says they know they want to be cremated and have their ashes delivered to a family plot outside of Pittsburgh --  they get that much of a choice. But they might want home funerals to spare their family the expense of an event orchestrated at a funeral home.