Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
There’s a story about a new green burial expo in Raleigh over at the Huffington Post that mentions West Asheville’s Bury Me Naturally. Sounds like a trend that’s gaining traction. Check it :
The Natural Burial Expo 2010 is being held on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday April 25, 2010 at St. Paul’s Christian Church in Raleigh, NC. Organizers report that this is the first event of its kind on the East Coast. It is being organized in response to the growing concern about the fragility of the planet and the increased awareness of the impact that daily decisions — from birth to death — have on the earth.
The organizers include natural burial consultant and casket provider Jane Hillhouse of Final Footprint (Half Moon Bay, CA), natural burial coordinator Carol Motley of Bury Me Naturally (Asheville), organic fabric artist Julie Mullin of Fiberactive (Raleigh, NC), and funeral director Joseph Smolenski of the Renaissance Funeral Home (Raleigh, NC).
The Expo will include workshops and displays by representatives from natural burial companies from throughout the U.S. Presentations will include information on home funerals, eco-friendly caskets and urns, organic quilted shrouds, natural burial cemetery sites, and organic caterers.
Natural burial was the standard practice in the U.S. until the Civil War, when embalming became the standard practice for preserving the bodies of fallen soldiers for the train journey from the battlefields to their homes. Hillhouse points out that home funerals and natural burial are options that allow families to care for their loved ones themselves, if they choose. They also provide ways for people to continue their commitments to the environment. According to FTC rules, embalming is rarely necessary, so natural burial practices and the use of environmentally-friendly caskets allow bodies to naturally return to the earth.
The Mountain Xpress has a story today about Bury Me Naturally. Verve did a profile last year.
Isle of Man’s post made me laugh, although I pretty much agree with the post.
If a simple and "natural" burial is wanted and is feasible, I think we should look at Jewish custom.
Organic quilted shrouds? Organic caterers? Eco-friendly caskets? Awesome! Now when you die, you can empty your wallet AND take your smugness with you to the grave!
This is their idea of being buried naturally? What about being buried naked in a simple, plain pine box? Wouldn’t that be the most "natural" way?
Never ceases to amaze me what these green-marketeers will exploit to make a dollar. If Asheville wasn’t ripe with white middle-class liberal guilt, these kind of ventures wouldn’t stand a chance. But instead they thrive.
In my eyes, this article would make an excellent rough draft for an Asheville Disclaimer feature. I honestly thought it was a joke or parody at first.