EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Natural burial strips away the extras—no lacquered boxes, no chemical preservation. It’s a simpler goodbye, one that leans into decay instead of delaying it. Your body nourishes the soil, not a sealed, airtight box. For some, that sounds unsettling. For others, it feels like peace—a return to the earth that seems less like an ending and more like a quiet continuation. And when you visit, you’re not standing over polished stone—you enter a natural setting where the landscape welcomes you, alive and unforced.
By Sarah Campise Hallier
There’s no sign explaining that you’ve arrived—just a narrow trail, a break in the trees, and a stillness that asks you to slow down. Sunlight filters through the pines, catching on a small wooden marker nestled in the grass. It feels more like a forest than a cemetery. No granite, no gates—just soil, roots, and the quiet company of those who’ve returned to the earth. This is a natural burial ground, a place where the body is laid to rest without embalming, metal caskets, or concrete vaults—allowing it to decompose naturally. As more people consider how their final resting places can better represent their values and life choices, natural burial has emerged as a meaningful alternative to conventional burial and cremation—one that’s modest, environmentally responsible, and deeply personal.
In a world increasingly driven by sustainability, end-of-life rituals are undergoing a quiet transformation. Natural burial is a practice rooted in simplicity and ecological awareness, and is gaining traction among those who want their final act to honor the earth. Natural burial uses biodegradable shrouds, woodland preserves, and allows the body to gently return to the soil. As more families seek meaning in death, natural burial offers a grounded, intimate, and profoundly human option to the traditional funeral industry.
The environmental impact of traditional burials is far greater than you may realize. Across the United States, cemetery space is rapidly dwindling, particularly in densely populated urban areas. Land that could otherwise support parks, forests, or sustainable development is instead being reserved for rows of sealed plots and granite headstones. But the issue goes far beyond limited space. Conventional burial practices involve embalming, a process that uses formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals to preserve the body. These chemicals not only pose health risks to embalmers but also leach into the surrounding soil and groundwater, leaving a long-lasting environmental footprint.
In addition to chemical exposure, most traditional funerals rely on metal caskets, urns, or concrete vaults, all of which inhibit the body’s natural return to the earth. The production of these materials generates substantial carbon emissions due to the energy-intensive processes involved in the mining, manufacturing, and transportation during production. Once buried they also contribute nothing to the local ecosystem, isolating the body away from natural decomposition. Unlike human composting, sometimes called natural organic reduction, which allows the body to reintegrate with the soil, conventional burial practices seal the deceased away from the regenerative processes of nature. While it’s true that people were once buried in simple wooden caskets that naturally decomposed, the shift toward embalming, thick metal caskets, and vaults is relatively modern, emerging widely in the 20th century with the growth of the commercial funeral industry. These newer conventions prioritize preservation and aesthetics over ecological integrations, and remain the dominant model in the U.S. today. Still, growing numbers are questioning whether there’s a more meaningful, less wasteful way to return to the earth. According to The Order of the Good Death, a nonprofit that raises awareness about alternative death ideas:
“American funerals are responsible each year for the felling of 30 million board feet of casket wood (some of which comes from tropical hardwoods), 90,000 tons of steel, 1.6 million tons of concrete for burial vaults, and 800,000 gallons of embalming fluid.”
Natural burial is a straightforward and environmentally intentional option that differs greatly from conventional death care. The body is laid to rest naturally, encased in biodegradable materials like cotton shrouds, cardboard containers, or caskets made from sustainably harvested wood or woven fibers such as willow or seagrass. These choices allow for decomposition, enriching the soil rather than polluting it. As stated by the Green Burial Council:
“Green burial is a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health, and the restoration and/or preservation of habitat.”
In contrast to the vast environmental footprint of traditional burials, green burial practices reflect a full-circle return to nature. Natural burials take place in one of three primary cemetery types: hybrid cemeteries, natural or green sites, and conservation burial grounds. Hybrid cemeteries are traditional cemeteries that have designated a section for green burials, allowing for more accessibility without requiring entirely new infrastructures. Green cemeteries are designed from the start to allow only natural burials, often surrounded by trees or meadows rather than rows of gravestones. The most environmentally ambitious are conservation burial grounds, which permanently protect ecologically significant land that is usually legally secured through a conservation easement or deed restriction. These binding agreements ensure that the land cannot be developed, paved over, or used in ways that would compromise its ecological value—forever. Taken from Cake, experts in the death, funeral, and end-of-life planning process, “Green Cemeteries: How They Work & Where to Find Them”:
“A Conservation Burial Ground must meet the requirements for a Natural Burial Ground, and it must also be run by a government agency or non-profit. In this way, the governing organization has long-term access to the burial grounds.”
As of 2024, North America had over 470 cemeteries offering natural burial, including 41 hybrid, 23 green, and 9 conservation cemeteries, according to the Green Burial Council. This growth reflects increasing public interest in making death care part of a larger environmental legacy. It also ripples outward into local economies and environmental practices:
“By sourcing burial containers made by local craftspeople and artists who likewise source their materials nearby, not only is there immediate and close-to-home economic benefit, but there is severe reduction in activity that compounds the toll on the environment.”
Legal barriers to natural burial are less than you may expect. Embalming is not legally required in any U.S. state. In most states, families are permitted to care for and transport the deceased themselves, and home funerals are increasingly recognized as a legal and personal option. With proper paperwork and adherence to local regulations (such as filing a death certificate and securing a permit for disposition), the process can be managed without the use of a funeral home. You can even bury your own on your property, as long as you follow your state’s guidelines. Most states allow families burial rights on their own land. However, home burials are prohibited in Indiana, California, Washington State and Washington, D.C. If you live elsewhere, you’ll need to check for any required permits and be aware of setback rules, which regulate how far a burial site must be from water sources, buildings, roads, or power lines. If the land is yours and you comply with local regulations, the process is usually straightforward. These legal freedoms give you the ability to plan more intimate, hands-on farewells that are both cost-effective and consistent with ecological or spiritual values. Every individual has the right to care for their own dead, reinforcing that natural burial isn’t just possible—it’s legally protected and increasingly supported.
Cost is another factor driving the shift to more natural burial options. The average cost of a traditional funeral in the United States is over $7,800 according to the National Funeral Directors Association. This figure includes expenses such as transportation for the deceased, embalming, a metal or wood casket, use of funeral home facilities, and other professional services. Additional costs, such as headstones and cemetery plots, can increase the total to over $10,000. By contrast, natural burials typically cost significantly less by skipping the expensive preservation methods and heavy, manufactured burial materials. The average cost of a green burial ranges from $4,000–$5,000, depending on factors like location, cemetery fees, and specific services chosen. Some natural burial preserves offer plots and services for as low as $1,000.
Many green cemeteries avoid costly headstones in favor of natural markers, such as flat stones, native plants, or wooden signs. GPS coordinates, which are recorded and logged to digitally pinpoint the exact location of a grave, are another option. As a visitor, you can access these coordinates through cemetery maps or apps, allowing you to locate a burial site without disturbing the landscape. Some cemeteries are also beginning to offer QR codes placed on natural markers, which link to online memorial pages with photos and stories of family tributes. These create a low-impact but lasting way to remember the person buried there. Organizations like Final Passages and Undertaking LA guide families through this process, often combining affordability with education about the entire process. For families facing financial strain or who value minimalist living, this option can be practical and meaningful. Natural burial carries a growing spiritual significance as well. While not tied to any one religion, the practice appeals to those who see death as part of a natural cycle rather than a disruption:
“We used to do this in our homes and with the people with whom we live. There is something really beautiful about reclaiming that and taking that back,” claims Bekki Lohrmann, a pastor who contributed “Rite for Preparing the Body for Burial” in the book “In Sure and Certain Home: A Funeral Sourcebook.“ “If your values are such that you care about the environment and protecting it, [natural burial] is a really concrete way you can do something about that.”
Faith communities from Quakers to Buddhists have embraced the model, and some Jewish and Muslim traditions already align with its core principles. Even for the nonreligious, the idea of returning to the earth—of feeding trees, becoming part of a forest, or simply not taking up more space than necessary—can be comforting. There’s an unexpected boldness in choosing to disappear into something alive—the quiet knowledge that what remains might nourish roots, feed the soil, or create space for something wild to grow. Some experience this as letting go; others, as finding lasting rest.
While forests and meadows offer one kind of return, others are choosing a different path—one that follows the tide. Natural burial doesn’t begin and end with the soil. A meaningful return for certain individuals happens not on land, but in water. Just as individuals rest beneath trees or meadow grasses, some look to the sea—uncontained, unmarked, and deeply elemental. Beyond cemeteries—green or otherwise—there’s another option rooted in simplicity and respect: full-body burial at sea. This serene and environmentally conscious alternative to traditional interment uses biodegradable sailcloth shrouds to ensure minimal ecological impact. Conducted in federally approved waters, the practice allows the body to return to the ocean’s depths, aligning with natural cycles while reducing the use of land-based resources.
Most death-related industries are built on resisting decay—preserving, treating, sealing, and preventing insect and microbial breakdown—but natural burial accepts the messiness of death without turning it into a spectacle. And in doing so, it offers something surprisingly rare: stillness. Just a forest floor, a patch of sun, maybe a name etched into wood. The rest is left to the elements—wind, water, moss, and time. This shift isn’t just about burial. It’s about acknowledging the parts of life (and death) you can’t manage, package, or perfect. You may wonder if this transition could be slowed down—made more human. In many cases, the answer is yes. Families are taking it into their own hands—literally—building pine boxes in garages, holding ceremonies under trees, and staying close to the experience from beginning to end. And the impact doesn’t stop there. If you’re visiting a loved one, the atmosphere feels less staged, more grounded. There are no polished rows or manicured lawns—just paths through trees, wildflowers in bloom, and the sounds of birds. The land feels alive, not managed. A body becomes earth, and the earth keeps going, quietly, without fanfare, doing what it does best.
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Published on May 29, 2025.
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