* The Second Edition Has Been Updated!
Big update! Includes 20 new cemeteries. Keep up with the latest trends—natural burial is moving forward!
As with past updates, this one will be digital only and available for all versions: Complete and Regions (Northeast, South, Midwest and West). Anyone who purchased the SECOND EDITION digitally in the past will be able to download the update free until September 30, 2022. This includes bundle purchasers.
The print edition is now available only bundled with the digital update.
Welcome to The Natural Burial Cemetery Guide second edition
Since you've landed on this website, you are likely already questioning what will happen to you after death. Green burial is a good alternative to both conventional burial and cremation.
Green or "natural" burial is a way of disposing of a dead body without formaldehyde-based embalming or environmentally unfriendly concrete burial vaults, in a shroud or biodegradable casket. It also means using minimal heavy equipment for burial and landscaping in a cemetery where the gravesite may be part of a reclaimed or existing forest or meadow that is maintained with minimum intervention and supported as open green space. Graves are marked with an engraved fieldstone or no marking at all. Even existing municipal cemeteries are beginning to offer hybrid burial, which allows green burial in a more conventional setting.
But how do you find it?
The Natural Burial Cemetery Guide Second Edition presents cemeteries that practice green burial across the US organized to make it easy to find the the best fit for you. Together they make a compelling argument for green burial and offer options for those asking the hard question: What kind of burial do I want for myself and my loved ones? While Green Burial Naturally does not endorse one cemetery over another, this one-of-a-kind resource will guide you in making your own informed decisions.
The book is available as a complete guidebook in digital or print edition, or in four regions, Northeast, South, Midwest and West. Regions are available in PDF for digital download only.
“I know for a fact, nothing even comes close to this guide—more than a great job! Ann Hoffner has by far and away provided the most comprehensive study of natural burial sites in America. This information will help consumers and providers alike better understand their role in this burial option and their regional proximity to these valuable services.”
Why Green Burial?
Someday someone's going to be left with your body. Why not decide now what you want that legacy to say? Sure, you could be cremated but that just burns you up. Your body is full of good stuff. Buried naturally in a field or forest those nutrients recycle into the earth, the trees, flowers and bees.
Learn more...
All photography unless otherwise noted is by Tom Bailey