Space is limited in cemeteries! We are running out of room to bury our dead.
With many of our cemeteries already crowded we need to pursue alternative ways to deal with this concern while also working towards preserving our environment.
For years we, as a human population, have taken from the earth; green burials offers a way for us to give back.
What has caused this problem we are faced with today? I believe it is due to the way modern burials preserve bodies through embalming, sealing of caskets, and burial vaults. These steps work to delay or prevent the body from decomposing, meaning that we bury our dead in perpetuity.
As an Albertan, who felt it was important to tell her mother when she was a teenager that when she died she wanted a simple natural burial, to be wrapped in a shroud, dropped into the earth and have a tree planted above so that she may become nutrients for the earth, I am concerned as to whether my final wishes will be granted in the future here in Alberta.
As of now there are little to no options, especially in the surrounding Edmonton area.
This is why I think it is imperative that changes be made. With many municipalities looking to purchase land in order to establish new cemeteries I challenge them to work with organizations like the Green Burial Society of Canada and turn them into green burial cemeteries.
Why? Imagine having a beautiful park protected from development in perpetuity. A park where not only could you go to visit a loved one who has passed on, but also a place that is full of local indigenous plants, teeming with natural life where you could go for a walk, or take your children on an outing to enjoy nature or even enjoy a picnic.
To be sure many municipalities are looking in to this lack of space issue and exploring all options, even green burial cemeteries, however I am concerned it may not be enough.
What else can be done? I think an addition to the provincial legislation, particularly Alberta’s Cemeteries Act, stating that a green burial space must be established in all future cemeteries, and green burials be added under the alternatives to burials within the Act. This would force developers to take environmental sustainability into account when planning future cemeteries.
It would also force service providers to offer more natural or green options for funerals.
Changes like this in legislation could also open the doors and start conversations within homes and communities regarding what peoples' final wishes may be.
So I challenge you, think about what you want when you die. Whatever you decided, whether it’s a traditional burial, cremation or green burial, think about what is best for you, your family, the broader community, future generations, and the planet.
Mirra Gauthier, Sturgeon County
