The Green Burial Guidebook: Everything You Need to Plan an Affordable, Environmentally Friendly Burial

The concept of green burial is new to most of us, yet it makes sense both ecologically and financially. Funeral parlor owner Elizabeth Fournier has written a complete guide to this sensible practice in The Green Burial Guidebook. It is very detailed, covering every aspect of not only green burial but all burial practices from historic times to present. Her writing is excellent, easy to read, and logical from beginning to end. This is a very practical book with many, many good suggestions and tips. Green burial is the practice in which a dead person is buried in a container (casket, natural clothing, or shroud) that decomposes with time. She covers everything, including cremation (that may be traditional or green) and green cemeteries in all states and provinces but also backyard burials. She provides practical information on how to dig a backyard grave, how to make a natural wood casket, how to proceed washing the deceased body, how to have a home funeral service, and so on. Even if you are not planning a green burial, this is a useful book to have for planning. Endnotes and resources end this very useful volume.