We invited the Grim Reaper as a guest, but she's booked pretty solid, so we welcome (yes, that's her nickname).
Funeral customs in the U.S. are generally not very kind to the planet. Conventional funerals use tons of wood, concrete, and metals for caskets and tombs, as well as millions of gallons of embalming fluid, which can be carcinogenic.
Elizabeth Fournier, the owner of Cornerstone Funeral Services in Boring, Oregon, thinks there's a better way. In her new book The Green Burial Guidebook, she gives a comprehensive look at alternatives. Elizabeth is a member of the advisory board for North American Natural Burial, and the advisory board for the Green Burial Council.
