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Green burials: The growing appeal of new Earth-conscious interment

A "green burial" plot at Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary in Cincinnati, Ohio. "Green" or natural burials forego the use of ornate caskets, concrete vaults and traditional embalming, and utilize basic, biodegradable methods that allow the human body to decompose naturally in the earth. A few Maryland cemeteries have allowed for natural burials, but the Serenity Ridge Natural Burial Cemetery and Arboretum in Windsor Mill, which opened in December, is the first Maryland cemetery dedicated to the practice. (photo credit Donelle Dreese)
A "green burial" plot at Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary in Cincinnati, Ohio. "Green" or natural burials forego the use of ornate caskets, concrete vaults and traditional embalming, and utilize basic, biodegradable methods that allow the human body to decompose naturally in the earth. A few Maryland cemeteries have allowed for natural burials, but the Serenity Ridge Natural Burial Cemetery and Arboretum in Windsor Mill, which opened in December, is the first Maryland cemetery dedicated to the practice. (photo credit Donelle Dreese)

Saturday is Earth Day, a day that's been observed annually since 1970 to draw attention to the problems facing the global environment.

Today on Midday, two environmental movements that are rapidly gaining interest and adherents: the green burial movement and sustainable fashion.

A little later we’ll talk about how the Johns Hopkins Women’s Board is giving new life to old clothes, and cutting down on the environmental impact of discarding textiles.

But we begin today with a conversation about green burials, which perhaps can be best described by listing what’s not involved rather than what is. No embalming, no concrete grave liners, no non-biodegradable caskets. Instead, bodies are returned to the earth naturally, with no deleterious effect on the environment.

Jennifer Downsis the founder and chair of the Green Burial Association of Maryland, or GBAM.

She joins Tom in Studio A…

Lee Websteris with us as well. She’s a past president of the Green Burial Council. She’s served in leadership of the National Home Funeral Alliance, and helped found the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance and Conservation Burial Alliance. She’s also written several books about green burials.

Lee Webster joins us on Zoom from Holderness, New Hampshire.

(L-R) Jennifer Downs is the founding president of the Green Burial Association of Maryland; Lee Webster is a funeral reform advocate, a past president of the Green Burial Council and founder of the Conservation Burial Alliance. (courtesy photos)
(L-R) Jennifer Downs is the founding president of the Green Burial Association of Maryland; Lee Webster is a funeral reform advocate, a past president of the Green Burial Council and founder of the Conservation Burial Alliance. (courtesy photos)

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Host, Midday (M-F 12:00-1:00)
Teria is a Supervising Producer on Midday.
Rob is a contributing producer for Midday.