As interest in green and conservation burial grows, so do the questions. Many of us have only ever been taught about embalming, vaults, or cremation — and it can feel unfamiliar, even unsettling, to imagine something different.
Here are some of the most common questions I hear, and the truths behind them:
🌊 Does green burial contaminate the water table?
No. Green burials are typically at a depth of about 3.5 feet, covered with a natural mound of earth. This depth is far above potable water, which usually lies 75 feet or more below the surface. Mandatory setbacks from known water sources also protect streams and wells.
🐾 Could wild animals dig up the graves?
No. With more than 150 conservation burial grounds in existence, there has never been a documented case of this happening. Burials are covered with an 18-inch “smell barrier,” and animals are far more interested in food above ground than in digging for something they cannot smell.
💊 What about medications or chemotherapy drugs in the body?
Soil is nature’s best filter. Microorganisms in healthy soil break down chemical compounds, binding them so they cannot travel through groundwater. In fact, our bodies release more toxins during a single day of living than they do while decomposing after death.
🌱 How are graves marked?
Every conservation cemetery does this a little differently. Some use fieldstones, native plants, or trees. Others rely on GPS coordinates and plat diagrams. Technology has even created options for digital markers, where families can upload photos, videos, and stories connected to a small, unobtrusive marker. What you won’t see are large monuments or non-biodegradable markers — the land itself is the memorial.
🌎 Why choose green or conservation burial?
Because it allows us to participate in life’s full cycle — to give back to the land that sustained us, to preserve sacred spaces for future generations, and to make deathcare a healing act for both people and planet.
Green burial is not about going backward. It is about remembering what we once knew: that we belong to the earth, and that returning to it can be an act of love.f
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