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Burial » Natural burial
Natural or Green burial is environmentally sensitive and is a popular and growing burial trend. In 'Natural Burial' the body is wrapped in a shroud and placed in contact with the ground, or placed in a 'cardboard' coffin or Biopod Shroud that readily breakes down, and the grave is in a more natural woodland setting usually without a headstone. The 'natural' setting may involve leaving the grass and other vegetation in a 'wild' state, thereby requiring less energy to maintain. Instead of headstones, graves can be 'geotagged' and visitors can use handheld GPS units to find particular sites. These units could also provide information about the person's life.
At this stage natural burial is very limited in Australia. Natural burial is now quite widely available in England and is beginning to take off in the States.
The Natural Earth Burial Society of Australia is a non-profit, community based group formed to call upon Governments to provide land, and assist industry participants to establish genuine, dedicated Natural Burial Grounds and products. Check out their website http://www.naturalearthburial.com/
Natural Burial Grounds - Life Matters - 28-November-2006 - one of 4 segments about halfway through the podcast: http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2006/11/lms_20061128.mp3
Natural burial - Science Show - 17-May-2008 - http://www.abc.net.au/rn/scienceshow/stories/2008/2247398.htm
Lismore Council opened Lismore Memorial Gardens Bushland Cemetery in 2008. Use is made of coffins made from organic materials such as plantation timber, woven wicker or recycled cardboard. The deceased could be wrapped in a shroud made from biodegradable cotton but permission is required from NSW Health. The cemetery may be contacted on (02) 6625 0566.
The establishment of this natural burial ground has been assisted by the the Natural Death Centre, www.naturaldeathcentre.org.au, which is a non profit organisation, on the north coast of NSW.
White Knight Funerals, www.whiteknightfunerals.com, offer natural burial in association with the Natual Earth Burial Society naturalearthburial.com/
The Natual Earth Burial Society has formally asked the SA Government for the 'management, care and control' of Crown land for the proposed Aldinga burial ground site. If granted, they believe Aldinga will be Australia's first genuine, conservation oriented, natural burial ground.
Natural burial is a popular alternative.