Hamilton resident pushes for green burials
The practice is gaining popularity across Ontario
MOST OF US would rather not think about what happens to our bodies after we die.
But Rochelle Martin wants us to consider it — not only what happens to our remains, but how the burial process will impact the earth.
Martin, who lives in downtown Hamilton with her family, is a nurse by trade and a “community death-care educator” by vocation. She advises families who wish to have a home funeral about the practicalities of washing, dressing, and laying out the bodies of their loved ones after they have died.
She is also an advocate for green burials — an end-of-life option that is becoming more popular around the globe. A “green burial” consists of a body being placed in the ground in a simple cotton shroud or wooden box, without the use of any embalming chemicals. Graves are marked with a tree, a natural stone marker, or simply left unmarked and located with a GPS number.
Proponents say green burials avoid the costly and environmentally damaging effects of traditional burials, which inter materials like concrete, metal, shellac, and formaldehyde along with human remains. It also avoids using a costly stone marker that has been mined and transported to the gravesite.
“Green burial is the lowest carbon
Green burial is the lowest carbon footprint disposition option that we have. ROCHELLE MARTIN COMMUNITY DEATH-CARE EDUCATOR
footprint disposition option that we have,” said Martin.
Martin points out that while cremation uses far fewer resources than almost any other burial options, it creates a significant amount of environmental impact (namely the use of fossil fuels, air pollution, and energy consumption).
Martin has been lobbying the City of Hamilton to designate a green burial site — specifically at a new cemetery being planned at the site of the former Parkside high school in Dundas. However, she says the city hasn’t been interested — nor have the Royal Botanical Gardens or the Hamilton Conservation Authority, both of whom she has approached with the concept.
Kara Bunn, Hamilton’s manager of parks and cemeteries, says the city isn’t necessarily opposed to the idea — it’s just not convinced that people are interested. Bunn says the city doesn’t want to devote staff time and resources to a concept that may or may not be successful.
“In order to designate an area, we would have to determine if there is enough demand and would need an analysis of the option, including cemetery locations and council support,” Bunn said.
Martin, however, says there’s plenty of interest among Hamiltonians and has offered to forward the city a collection of letters and emails from residents endorsing the idea.
While Hamilton has yet to adopt green burials, other municipalities are wholeheartedly embracing the idea. There are green burial sites in Cobourg, Jordan, Pickering and Brampton, and the city of Waterloo is in the process of creating one.
Mark Richardson, the manager of cemetery services for the city of Niagara Falls, was instrumental in creating that city’s first green burial site. The area, a .8 hectare plot in the Fairview Cemetery, officially opened in September with the help of thousands of dollars in donations from community partners.
“We have nearly $80,000 in community funding because people are interested in this and want to see it happen,” he said.
The site includes a monarch pollinator garden, wooden benches and pergolas, and dozens of newly planted trees. A grant allowed the city to plant hundreds of wildflower seeds.
Since the official unveiling of Niagara Falls’ green burial site, Richardson has noticed a huge amount of interest in the concept. He has been invited to different municipalities across Ontario — including Brussels, Renfrew, Ottawa and Kingston — to share his insight and experience.
“The level of interest and questions is growing significantly,” he said.
Richardson, who began his career at the City of Niagara Falls managing the environmental portfolio, says baby boomers are really the first generation to collectively consider their environmental footprint.
“These boomers are all getting to a point where they’re end-of-life planning. They’re recognizing that we’ve just spent the better part of our lives trying to improve the environment,” he said.
“They’re realizing, why do all of this work for their entire life just to have their last decision in this world have a negative impact on the earth?”