Photo courtesy of Jennifer Donovan

More and more people want green or natural burial. They don’t want to be embalmed or encased in vaults. They want their bodies to return to and nourish the earth. But it’s up to cemeteries whether they allow green burial and how they handle it.

How are the cemeteries in the Keweenaw doing with that? Some very well, others not so well, according to Stephen Jukuri, president of the Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance (KGBA).

He gave a public update on area cemeteries and green burial at the Portage Lake District Library last Monday.

Six cemeteries in the area now allow green burial: Chassell, Forest Hill in Portage Township, Marquette’s Park Cemetery, Jacobsville, Evergreen in Eagle River and Herman. Three more in the UP are developing a green burial option: Nisula, Champion and Lake View in Calumet.

There are also six funeral directors in the area who are willing and prepared to offer green burial, Jukuri said: O’Neill-Dennis in Hancock; Memorial Chapel & Plowe in Houghton, Hancock and Chassell; Pearce in Lake Linden, Ryan in Calumet, Erickson-Crowley-Peterson in Calumet and Jacobson in L’Anse.

“Talk to a couple of funeral directors, find one you’re comfortable with and do your pre-planning,” Jukuri advised. “You don’t have to prepay.”

Chassell Cemetery–A Model for Green Burial

Chassell has become a model for cemeteries across the UP. Other cemeteries, such as Forest Hill in Portage Township and Park Cemetery in Marquette, have not done so well, Jukuri said.

Why is Chassell outperforming? It’s attractive, with burial plots nestled in the woods, said Jukuri. And the Chassell Township board did their research, looked at the need, listened to KGBA’s advice and developed sensible rules. They allow grave markers and winter burial, which many cemeteries don’t. Jukuri called the township board “a model of responsive government.” As a result, “they pulled it off in a really beautiful way,” he said.

Chassell’s green burial initiative started in 2015. They sold 43 plots in two years and decided to create more green burial sites. They now have 102 green burial plots, 76 of which have been sold. There have been nine green burials there so far.

Forest Hill, on the other hand, followed what Jukuri called “the basic recipe” for green burial: no embalming, no vault, and the body buried in a shroud or biodegradable coffin. Their green burial section is an unattractive open field, he said. They have no clear plan or rules, and plots there are very expensive, since the cemetery charges a perpetual maintenance fee of more than $1,000.

Forest Hill was the first cemetery in the Keweenaw to offer green burial, but they’ve sold no plots. Even so, “there’s still potential there,” Jukuri said.

Park Cemetery in Marquette is another example of green burial gone off track. Their designated green burial section is called Prairie Mound, a fitting name for a field covered with prairie grass and weeds. Also, Park Cemetery doesn’t allow grave markers, which many families want, and plots there are expensive.

But again, there’s potential, Jukuri said. Led by a local woman and green burial enthusiast, Elizabeth Bates, local residents have pulled the weeds on Prairie Mound and plan to plant wildflowers. Sales of plots are ticking up. The cemetery has sold 27 green burial plots, 12 of them just this past summer. “People are opting for green burial there, even if it’s less than perfect,” said Jukuri.

What Do People Want?

What people are looking for in green burial is complex, Jukuri said. “People want attractive natural places with trees. People like to imagine themselves dead in the same place they enjoyed being alive,” he said–in their favorite spot, near family and friends.

Some want to be buried on their own property. Jukuri himself initially wanted that.

That is possible in Michigan, but it involves at least two years of effort and expense, he said. “You have to deed a piece of your land designated for burial,” Jukuri explained. “You have to meet five legal requirements, including health department approval and road access. There are a lot of forms to file. You’ll have to hire an attorney and a surveyor.”

People who want green burial often want it in their local cemetery, Jukuri went on to say. Some smaller cemeteries are responding. Green burial is now available in Eagle River’s Evergreen Cemetery, in Jacobsville and Herman.

If you want to be buried in your local cemetery, go talk to the cemetery board, the sexton and the township board,” Jukuri advised. Herman is offering green burial because a Herman woman did just that.

KGBA urges cemeteries to develop rules. “They need rules to avoid health and environmental concerns, Jukuri said. They also need a rule requiring a tight-fighting casket to avoid grave sinking.

KGBA stands ready to lend its expertise to cemeteries looking to create a green burial option.

Legislation

Jukuri discussed recent legislation passed in Minnesota and KGBA’s efforts to promote green burial-friendly legislation in Michigan.

Minnesota recently passed a two-year moratorium on new green burial sites. The legislation grew out of neighbors’ objections when Vern Simula, founder of KGBA, tried to develop a new green burial cemetery there.

Hoping to head off similar legislation in Michigan, Jukuri recently spoke with Michigan Representative Will Snyder’s policy aide, educating him about green burial facts and laws.

Embalming & vaults are not required in Michigan, he told Rep. Snyder’s aide. “Green burial is perfectly legal in Michigan,” he assured him. Among Michigan’s legislative needs is a change to the 48-hour rule, which requires bodies to be buried or cremated within 48 hours of death, Jukuri said. “Most other states allow bodies to be refrigerated, to extend the time between death and burial.”

Climate Change

Green burial helps reduce our carbon footprint, the KGBA president pointed out. Cremation, which has become the most common choice, takes an enormous amount of energy and releases toxic fumes, including mercury, into the air.

Even the Keweenaw’s local health department environmentalist personally prefers green burial, although decomposition in the ground does release a plume of bacteria, so you do have to follow the rules and regulations to make sure you don’t create an environmental problem, Jukuri said.

Summing up, Jukuri said: “Ask yourself, is it as simple as a hole in the ground? If it isn’t, it probably isn’t green or desirable or carbon neutral.”

For more information, go to KGBA’s website, kgba.weebly.com, where you can find information about green burial, membership and join the mailing list. There’s also a funeral director-vetted green burial planner which can guide you through the steps of planning for a green burial.

Jennifer Donovan is a Board member for the Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance.