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Death can lead to greener pastures

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The Associated Press

Published: May 7, 2009

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Someday soon, the grass may be greener for people laid to rest in a section of one Lawrence, Kan., cemetery.

The first plot has been sold in a city-owned cemetery that offers the dearly departed a chance to be buried without being embalmed, in a biodegradable casket, with no concrete grave liner or a traditional cut or polished headstone.

When the Lawrence City Commission decided to set aside about one-third of an acre in Oak Hill Cemetery for green funerals, the college town with an environmentally friendly reputation joined a growing national trend.

In the natural burial section, visitors will not see artificial flowers, ornaments or other grave decorations.

Headstones will be natural rocks - only.

Wildflowers and grasses will grow over the graves, eventually returning the area to its natural habitat.

Oh, green burials can cost 25 percent to 75 percent less than a traditional burial, depending on family preferences.

IF YOU 'GO'

Green burial sites in Florida include Eternal Rest Memories Park and Funeral Home in Dunedin and Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve in DeFuniak Springs in the Panhandle. For information on green burials, see www.greenbu rials.org.

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