Green Burial
Albany Rural Cemetery is now offering an alternative green burial option for individuals seeking an environmentally mindful end-of-life process.
Green burial may not be new but has become increasingly popular in modern day burial practices. By reducing carbon emissions in the air and toxic chemicals in the ground, green burials allow for preservation and enhancement of the natural habitat.
Employing a natural approach to after-life care and burial, the green burial movement works to make death more environmentally friendly and is, in some ways, closer to the way burials were in the past.
What is green burial?
Where is ARC's green burial area?
The term "green burial" describes post-death care, from death to burial, using only natural means with full body interment directly in the ground without the typical concrete vault.
It requires use of non-toxic preservation techniques (green embalming) and use of all organic, biodegradable materials with minimal carbon footprints at the gravesite.
Section 131 is our new green burial section. This quiet, secluded area is in the western portion of the cemetery near
Sections 129 and 130.
Green burials at ARC
- Green caskets are made of biodegradable material such as plain softwood, wicker, or cardboard. Shrouds of cotton, linen, or wool may be used in conjunction with a casket or by
themselves. - No pesticides or herbicides are permitted.
- Grave sites are planted with wildflowers for the benefit of birds, bees and butterflies.
- Inconspicuous memorial markers are made of unpolished stone sourced from a radius of 500 miles.
- Limited mowing is allowed to delineate rows and clear pathways.
Please contact the cemetery office for more information about green burial.