‘Green’ cemetery plan raises grave concerns in Ga. counties
Fans of the HBO series Six Feet Under will remember the episode. The character, Nate Fisher, has a “green” funeral: no embalming or casket, just burial — simply wrapped in a shroud — in a plot of land protected by a nature preserve.
It might have been many people’s introduction to the green burial concept. Currently, it’s an issue of concern in Bibb and Twiggs counties in Georgia. Responding to public opposition, Bibb passed and Twiggs is considering an ordinance that would effectively ban green cemeteries.
The move came as a blow to Beth Collins, who wants to develop a 10-acre green cemetery on a hilltop in Bibb County. She started thinking about simple burials after reading author Jessica Mitford’s book, The American Way of Death. Later, she was “inspired” by an article about green and woodland cemeteries.
“It convinced me that natural burial was the way to go. It’s certainly what I want,” Collins said. And she wants it to be an option for others. Unfortunately for her, her neighbors aren’t so sure.
Twiggs County commissioners are considering an ordinance similar to Bibb County’s, which reads, in part, that “All human remains shall be buried in a leak-proof casket or vault to protect against contamination of ground water, wells, and aquifers.”
Collins’ proposed Summerland Natural Cemetery would be entirely in Bibb but close to the Twiggs County line.
 Ray Bennett, chairman of Twiggs County’s Board of Commissioners, said, “Our constituents are concerned about the establishment of the cemetery and the location that they’ve proposed because it’s adjacent to Twiggs and their properties.”
It’s an issue that more counties may find on their plates, as green burials — like so many environmental trends — increase in popularity. According to a 2007 AARP survey, 21 percent of Americans over the age of 50 have an interest in eco-friendly death care.
“Primarily, our concern is not only for the safety of the neighbors but our water supply and things of this nature,” Bennett said. “That’s what our constituents have shared with us.” Many homes in the area rely on wells for their drinking water.
When Bibb passed its ordinance Nov. 4, Bibb Commissioner Lonzy Edwards said, “This ordinance deals with one of the most important charges of the commissioners: the health, welfare and safety of the people living here,” according to the Macon Telegraph.
Collins argues that the proposed cemetery poses no threat to public health or groundwater quality. She has had soil studies done that show her hilltop land’s “clayey” soil would filter potential toxins, and said, moreover, that the area’s aquifer is recharged from low-lying wetlands.
Joe Sehee, founder and director of the Green Burial Council, said, “Burial vaults … do not protect anything from getting into the ground. They crack; they break open.” His Santa Fe, N.M-based organization developed standards for and certifies sustainable cemeteries, and also certifies green funeral homes and products.
Sehee also said there is no such thing as a leak-proof casket and that the Federal Trade Commission doesn’t allow any casket maker to assert that claim.
On a larger scale, he said, the issue is sustainability. The amount of metal buried in the ground annually, as caskets, is enough to rebuild the Golden Gate Bridge, he said. The concrete in burial vaults could pave a two-lane highway from Detroit to New York.
Further, Sehee said green burial practices meet a growing demand. “This isn’t some crunchy, fringe market. According to two national surveys, this is moving into the mainstream rather rapidly,” he said. A recent survey by Kates Boylston, publisher of American Cemetery and American Funeral Director magazines, “suggests that 43 percent of Americans want a green burial,” Sehee added. He estimates that some 200 natural cemeteries will open nationwide within the next five years.
Green Cemeteries as a Conservation Tool
The green burial movement in the United States got its start in 1998, when Billy Campbell, M.D. opened Ramsey Creek Preserve, the nation’s first “conservation burial ground” in Westminster, S.C. According to its Web site, “The preserve was formed to harness the funeral industry for land protection and restoration, to fund non-profits, education, the arts and scientific research, and to provide a less expensive and more meaningful burial option.”
Collins said, “When I learned about green burial I realized that this would be a good way to conserve land. I’m not able to buy land and just hold it for conservation or donate it to an organization. But if I could get some income off of it, I can protect it in a natural state.
“The core pillars of our mission are land conservation” — which Collins says benefits the county — “and providing an alternative to conventional burial.”
She remains hopeful that the Bibb County Commission will “see the light and change this regulation.” She has attended almost every one of their meetings since the ordinance passed and continues to press the commission to repeal the law.
But, as a recent Macon Telegraph article noted, residents who favor the Bibb County ordinance also continue to attend meetings in force, to show their ongoing support for the restrictions.
In Twiggs County, commission Chairman Bennett said the county hopes to incorporate cemetery regulations into its existing land use ordinance. “I hope that we can bring that to some review and conclusion in the next six weeks or so,” he said.
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