Throughout the years and as pollution has increased upon the earth in many different ways, many individuals have become increasingly interested in finding new ways to recycle and increase green living through the environment. If your environmentally friendly loved one has recently passed away and you're pondering how to best honor their love of a greener earth, you'll be interested to know that a growing movement has begun investing in something called "green funerals." Green funerals may be the perfect way for you to honor your loved one as they are earth friendly and environmentally conscious. Continue reading to learn more about what green funerals entail and decide whether it may be a good decision for your loved one:

Avoiding Chemicals

The average funeral today includes a process called embalming, which is the easiest way for funeral directors to preserve the body throughout the normal length of the viewing and funeral. In order to embalm a body properly, the director must inject a chemical involving formaldehyde into the body after death. Choosing not to embalm will naturally shorten the possible length of time to view the body as the natural decomposition process will take its normal course of action.

While the chemical serves its purpose of preserving and maintaining the body while delaying decay, allowing the chemical to go into the ground after burial is anything but earth friendly.

Alternate Choices for the Funeral

Although you may think you have no choice when it comes to many aspects of the funeral, you may be surprised to learn that there are actually many different customizable choices you can make to honor your loved one and the earth. Among those alternate choices for the funeral are these earth friendly ideas:

• Instead of choosing to receive wreaths or flowers at the funeral home (such as Ryan-Parke Funeral Home), ask that attending mourners donate to your loved one's favorite charity or environmental society.
• If your loved one has decided upon cremation instead of traditional burial, be sure to look into a company that has low emissions into the atmosphere. In recent years, the Cremation Association of North America has worked to lower emissions (pollution) that are produced during the cremation process, but not all facilities are up to par.
• If you're choosing a traditional burial in a cemetery, keep in mind that there are more earth friendly casket materials for use than the average metal that is commonly used. Ask your funeral director about green options for caskets such as cardboard or wicker-- these materials will break down easily and naturally in the earth.