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Cemeteries, while the accepted norm, are not exempt from fraud and scamming people. We had one such incident here in SoFL where a corporate-owned graveyard was digging people up and throwing their remains into the woods surrounding the grounds, to reuse plots. An outrage and a huge lawsuit followed. I have two small children and don't keep up on the news enough to know when or if it was settled. A good friend had their father buried there and had no idea exactly where he was laid to rest because of the confusion.
So although nature preserves are new and untested don't assume cemeteries are always on the up and up either.
Money, after all, is still the root of all evil.
My Father has asked to be cremated, his ashes sealed in an urn, and to be buried with his parents' ashes on some family property in a small little town in FLA. He is an only child, so I found that sweet, and fitting.
I prefer to be cremated -- and would rather not be embalmed, but my understanding is that some states require it. Maybe I can skip that part since I am an organ donor. I have also seriously contemplated donating my body to one of the medical schools here in the state.
I just don't relish the thought of being in a box in the ground. Just cast my ashes, of whatever is left of me, to the wind -- some place nice that I either enjoyed in life, or would have enjoyed. A memorial stone isn't important to me, either, but I would like a service in my family's church -- nothing morose, please, but more a celebration of life, with some of my favorite hymns and songs.
I keep telling my husband he had best be nice to me, or he will find his ashes scattered across Alaska. He is so incredibly cold-natured.
my plans are to be cremated and have my ashes made into a reef. i was the mortuary affairs NCO at one of my assignments and after a couple of cases and meeting with various funeral directors, i felt this is the way i want my remains to be handled. i didn't want my ashes in an urn to sit on some mantle or table. i also feel this is a good way to give back to the earth.
After I die and everything useful is harvested from my body, I want any remains to be cremated and the ashes and bits of bone left from that to be buried somewhere and something planted on top...a nice lemon balm or a tree or something. I positively do not care if that little spot of earth later gets used for something else--I'll be GOOD AND DEAD and without opinions at that point.
I prefer to be cremated -- and would rather not be embalmed, but my understanding is that some states require it. Maybe I can skip that part since I am an organ donor. I have also seriously contemplated donating my body to one of the medical schools here in the state.
The Funeral Rule requires funeral providers to give you information about embalming that may help you decide whether to purchase this service. Under the Rule, a funeral provider:
May not falsely state that embalming is required by law.
Must disclose in writing that, except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law.
May not charge a fee for unauthorized embalming unless it is required by state law.
Will disclose in writing that you usually have the right to choose a disposition such as a direct cremation or immediate burial if you do not want embalming.
Will disclose to you in writing that certain funeral arrangements, such as a funeral with viewing, may make embalming a practical necessity and, there would be a required purchase. (This last one is why many will insist you have a viewing!)
Federal Trade Commission: Your Rights When Buying Funeral Goods & Services
In most states, you are not legally required to use a funeral home to conduct a funeral. These functions may be handled by a religious or other organization, or by your family. In addition, veterans, their immediate family members, public health workers, and some civilians who provide military-related service are entitled to burial in a national cemetery with a grave marker. Burial for the veteran is free, but the family is responsible for all funeral home expenses, such as the funeral ceremony or memorial service, and transportation to the cemetery. Many states have low-cost cemeteries for veterans.
If you don’t want to hold a viewing, you can avoid charges for embalming and “other preparation of the body,” and the charges for a viewing. Most states do not require embalming except in special cases. The Funeral Rule requires that an explanation of any charge for embalming be included in the written statement you receive immediately after making the funeral arrangements.
This is a new concept for my husband and myself. Our plans in the past have always been cremation but things are changing with some recent information we've read about natural burials that conserve land use. The idea of being laid to rest in a cemetery have never appealed to me but a preserve without headstones set among nature sounds quite nice.
We're presently in FL and know of at least one site where green burials are done here and have read about a few others in CA, SC, Maine, and Colorado, some already active and more in the planning stages.
Are you planning a green burial for yourself or someone in your family and if so where?
Thanks for sharing.
I agree. I'm not sure what lies beyond the grave but I see no reason to pump my body full of preservatives and toxic chemicals before laying it to rest. I haven't made up my mind yet but another option to consider is donating your body to science or to a 'Body Farm'.
I'd like to be buried without a casket, covered with gravel and dirt (so the coyotes can't dig me up) and then have a tree or small garden planted over me.
That, or be cremated and spread along my favorite beach at sunset
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He is so incredibly cold-natured.
Federal Trade Commission: Your Rights When Buying Funeral Goods & Services
