photo credit: Natural Burial New Mexico
How it works
The Natural Burial Cemetery Guide Second Edition is a meticulously researched and illustrated listing of cemeteries in the US organized either as a complete guide or in one of four regional editions, Northeast, South, Midwest and West.* Whether you purchase the complete guide or a region, you'll find introductory material describing green burial and the different ways cemeteries practice it, and explaining what to expect in a cemetery entry. The complete guide is available in digital and in print as a bundle with the digital update. The updated second edition includes 20 new cemeteries.
Finding a convenient green burial cemetery is not always easy and other factors besides location often come into play. To help you choose, regional and state maps visually guide you to the geographic location of the cemeteries in the table of contents using color coding.
*See list below of states sorted by region
As you use the book, you'll find individual cemetery entries are color coded by region and organized by state. The cemetery details listed in a consistent, easy-to-understand format were accumulated in personal communications, interviews, and site visits where possible. Interactive tables of content and a bookmark bar simplify navigating through the guide, allowing the user to move between regions, states, cemeteries and newly designed maps. Photos taken by Tom Bailey or provided by the cemeteries provide visual pictures of the burial grounds.
Contact information is included for funeral homes that work with green burial customers.
NORTHEAST
Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Washington DC
SOUTH
West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas
MIDWEST
Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas
WEST
Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Hawaii, Alaska
“Ann Hoffner has documented the hard-to-find, nitty-gritty details of every known green burial cemetery in the Northeast in one succinct, information-packed book that is bound to be of immense service to anyone looking for a natural and healing burial alternative to our current environmentally and spiritually flawed practices. The lovely images of green burial cemetery graves, trails, woodland, and meadows capture the essence of what we all wish final resting places to be: soothing, sacred, safe, and serene. ”
Ready to purchase?
The Natural Burial Cemetery Guide Second Edition updated is now available for purchase in digital format as a complete or regional guide. Print version of the complete guide is available as a bundle with the digital update.
about the author and photographer
ANN HOFFNER is a freelance journalist who began her career writing articles on meteorology and oceanography for sailing magazines. With her husband, photographer Tom Bailey, she spent 10 years living and traveling on a 44-foot sailboat, s/v Oddly Enough, starting from Maine and ending in Borneo. She currently lives in Maine and is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ), Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), and American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA). During research for a book on green burial Ann recognized the need for a guide to natural burial cemeteries. It took several years to connect with the cemeteries and funeral homes that do natural burial, and the work is ongoing as the business grows.
TOM BAILEY has worked as an architect, boat restorer, home builder and photographer. As first mate to Ann Hoffner he spent a number of years sailing and living aboard their sailboat s/v Oddly Enough. More recently he served as research companion and book designer for Ann's The Natural Burial Cemetery Guide.