Dust to dust: City signs off on eco-friendly green burials

Martin Kidston

(Missoula Current) After months of research and approval from City Council, the Missoula City Cemetery will begin offering green burials, an eco-friendly alternative to a traditional burial.

The ordinance change, approved on Monday, also came with a ban on flying drones over the cemetery.

“The intent of this amendment is to eliminate any chance of a funeral service being interrupted and to ensure the serenity of the grounds,” said Brett Gilman, the superintendent of the city cemetery.

The city cemetery was established in 1884 and has long accommodated traditional burials. Before this week's change, the standing ordinance required that casket burials be done in a concrete liner. Between 2014 and 2019, such requirements consumed more than 1.6 million tons of concrete across the U.S. and 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluid, according to the Green Burial Council.

Permitting green burials is viewed as an environmentally friendly alternative, said Gilman.

“Over the past several months, we've been researching green burials to see if that's something the cemetery wanted to offer,” he said. “After having conversations with several other professionals and members of the public, it was an overwhelmingly positive response.”

While a traditional burial includes a grave depth of roughly six feet, a green burial is set at three feet. And while a typical casket is made of many products including wood, steel, bronze and concrete, a green burial wraps a body in a shroud and places it in a natural casket that decomposes over time.

Such “green graves” are growing in popularity. They're also “wildlife proof,” Gilman said.

“There's a 19-inch sniff factor. Anything deeper than that won't be detected by wildlife,” he said. “They (Green Burial Council) recommend a green burial be at least three feet to help speed up the decomposition.”

The new ordinance requires that green burials include a death certificate and a signed document stating that embalming hasn't taken place. It also requires the use of an approved biodegradable casket. They include manufactured wood, wicker and “living cocoons” made from mushrooms, among other materials.

According to the Green Burial Council, a vault burial emits around 250 pounds of carbon while a green burial emits 25 pounds.

“It's good to offer these options,” said council member Betsy Craske.