The Manitoba Home Builders' Association is celebrating 75 years.
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/692961
12 ❖ JUNE 2016 A R R A N G E M E N T S By Wendy King for the Free Press W hile many of us consider the impact our lives have on the people around us and our surroundings, some individuals are also starting to consider the impact of their death and burial on the planet itself. Funeral practices, in addition to meeting a social or spiritual need, are meant to provide the dignified treatment of human remains. Some people would also like that dignity extended to the earth with greener funeral practices. Michael Gibbens, president of the Manitoba Funeral Services Association, says that an eco-friendly or green burial is typically considered a service where no chemicals or manufactured materials, such as embalming chemicals or concrete burial vaults, are used. "The caskets, if used, are typically biodegradable and no glues, metal nails or staples are used," Gibbens says. "The cemetery itself is not groomed or manicured and is left as natural as possible." Although there are some associations in Canada, such as the Natural Burial Association based in Toronto, interest is still in the formative stages for much of the country. Gibbens says that he is only aware of a few green cemeteries across the country and he has only received sporadic queries. "It is of interest and some conversation but I would not say it is growing – at least not at a pace that is noticeable," he says. He says to his knowledge, there are no "true eco-friendly" options available for the majority of the public in Manitoba at this time. "The Jewish tradition would be the closest tradition that follows the eco-friendly model in that the casket conforms to Halachic (Jewish) law and are manufactured completely free of metal," he says. Furthermore, the tradition prohibits embalming, as the blood is considered a part of the body to be buried with the deceased. This is very similar to what the Natural Burial Association (a Canadian non-profit founded in 2005) describes as green burial, in which the human body is returned to the earth as naturally as possible. The association does not recommend embalming or cremation, but encourages a simple burial in a casket or a shroud in a designated green space. Cremation is not considered to be as ecologically sound as some may believe. "Natural gas is used for the cremation process and the emissions from the cremation change can expel fumes, et cetera, into the air," Gibbens says. "The majority of crematoriums require some sort of rigid container to provide the greatest level of dignity for the descendent as well ease of handling of the decedent as they are being placed into the cremation chamber." He says an eco-friendlier option is alkaline hydrolysis, a process where the body is placed in a chamber that is then filled with a mixture of water and lye. "This is heated to a temperature around 160 C (320 F), but at a high pressure, which prevents boiling," says Gibbens. "Instead, the body is effectively broken down into its chemical components, which takes about three hours." He adds that this process has not been approved in all provinces and he is aware of only one unit existing in Ontario. Some people believe that a low-impact funeral will incur less expense, but Gibbens says people might be surprised. "They can be more expensive because of the cost to manufacture eco-friendly caskets which are not mass-produced," he says. The Natural Burial Association notes that expenses can be reduced by choosing a shrub or other plant or a flat stone instead of a traditional marker (burial positions are recorded with geographic information systems), by choosing a shroud over a casket, or by declining other funeral procedures that would not be deemed necessary for natural burial, such as embalming (which is not considered compatible in a natural setting). Currently, four natural burial sites are available in Canada including Royal Oak Burial Park in Victoria, B.C., Union Cemetery in Cobourg, Ont., Meadowvale Cemetery in Brampton Ont., and Duffin Meadows Cemetery in Pickering, Ont. One of the other benefits of choosing a low impact burial is the preservation of natural spaces which remain green as they cannot be used for any other purpose. The natural cemetery conserves water and provides green spaces for people to enjoy as well as habitat for birds, insects and other creatures and plants. For more information visit www.naturalburialassoc.ca. ❖ GREEN BURIALS OFFER ECO-FRIENDLY INTERNMENT One of the benefits of eco-friendly or green burials is that they help to preserve green spaces for people to enjoy as well as habitat for birds, insects and other creatures and plants.