Our Staff recognizes that preservation of our earth is extremely important. With so many of us using reusable grocery bags, buying organic and doing all we can to reduce our carbon foot print, why not make an eco-friendly choice that will benefit the earth forever by choosing Green Burial? Green Funerals and Burials are exclusively available through Lasting Tributes Cremation & Funeral Care - Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam and our privately owned cemetery Bestgate Memorial Park.
In order to provide the families we serve the availability of natural (“Green”) burial, we have tailored a specialized green funeral option in our privately owned Green Burial section of Bestgate Memorial Park.
The caskets used to enclose and transport your loved one are made of bio-degradable materials and are available in such materials as wicker and wood. Outer enclosures are not permitted in our Green Burial Section of Bestgate Memorial Park.
Green Burial does not employ any chemical treatment (embalming) of the body. Due to the availability of onsite refrigeration, we are able to hold the remains to provide time for family and friends to gather for a service.
We provide families with a hand dug grave to reduce damage to the earth that heavy equipment could cause. A river rock memorial will be custom made and placed where your loved one is buried to assist in locating the grave.
Burial of cremated remains is also an option in our Green Burial section of Bestgate Memorial Park. We have a wide variety of biodegradable pressed cotton, wood and other eco-friendly urns available if you prefer cremation.
These caskets are constructed of renewable Northeastern hardwoods, contain no metal parts and use only biodegradable glues and finishes. They are approved by the Green Burial Council and are suitable for burial or green cremation. Green caskets are designed to move the funeral and burial process to a greener and more human-centered place. We can only achieve this through continuous attention to the environmental impact of our products and practices and by attentively listening to our client's ideas for meaningful ceremony.
green burial options in Maryland
A natural burial (or green burial) is a simplified and natural way of returning the body to the earth. Natural Burials are low impact, use less energy, and consume fewer resources than traditional burials. 'Going green' often does not involve embalming and is instead focused on making more natural choices such as simple, biodegradable caskets.
If you have decided upon natural burial in a green cemetery, then you'll choose a naturally-finished casket made of biodegradable materials or a simple shroud. Some green cemeteries in Maryland require that the selected casket, urn or shroud are made from materials that are biodegradable, non-toxic and harvested in a sustainable manner.
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