A green burial is the interment of a body directly in the earth without embalming, concrete vaults, or metal caskets. The body is placed in a biodegradable container, such as a wooden casket or simple cloth shroud, and allowed to decompose naturally and return to the soil. It’s the way humans buried their dead for thousands of years, and it’s now one of the fastest-growing trends in the funeral industry.
How Green Burial Differs From Conventional Burial
A conventional burial in the United States typically involves embalming the body with formaldehyde-based chemicals, placing it in a metal or hardwood casket, and lowering that casket into a concrete or steel vault underground. The vault exists to prevent the ground from settling over time, which makes cemetery maintenance easier. None of this is required by federal or state law, but most conventional cemeteries enforce it as policy.
Green burial strips all of that away. No embalming, no liners or vaults, and no caskets made from non-biodegradable materials. The body is typically kept cool with dry ice or refrigeration until burial, then placed in something that will break down in the soil: a plain pine box, a wicker basket, a cotton or linen shroud, or in some cases nothing at all. Some newer designs use containers made from mycelium (mushroom root structures) that can biodegrade in roughly a month, compared to the ten to twenty years a body takes to decompose inside a traditional sealed coffin.
Types of Green Cemeteries
Not all green burial sites operate the same way. The Green Burial Council, the industry’s main certifying body, recognizes three tiers of burial grounds, each with increasing environmental commitments.
- Hybrid cemeteries are conventional cemeteries that offer a green burial section. They allow biodegradable caskets and skip the vault requirement in designated areas, but the rest of the cemetery operates traditionally. This is the most widely available option.
- Natural burial grounds require all burials on the property to follow green practices. No embalming, no vaults, and only biodegradable containers. Grave markers are typically flat native stones or plantings rather than upright headstones.
- Conservation burial grounds go furthest. They operate as land conservation projects, partnering with land trusts to permanently protect the property as a nature preserve. Burial fees directly fund habitat restoration and long-term stewardship of the land. These sites often restore native prairie or woodland ecosystems, which can sequester significant amounts of carbon. A 50-year-old oak forest, for example, removes roughly 30,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per acre.
The Environmental Case
The environmental argument for green burial centers on what it avoids. Conventional burial consumes enormous quantities of materials: the steel, copper, and bronze used in caskets, the concrete poured into vaults, and the formaldehyde pumped into bodies. Cremation, while using fewer materials, burns fossil fuels at high temperatures and releases carbon dioxide directly into the atmosphere.
Conservation burial grounds use no energy for growing, harvesting, warehousing, or transporting materials. The body itself contains about 14.5 kilograms of carbon, which is released gradually into the soil ecosystem rather than being combusted all at once. When that burial takes place on land managed as prairie or forest, the vegetation overhead is actively pulling carbon out of the atmosphere. Prairie ecosystems alone can store up to 10 tons of carbon per acre in their deep root systems.
This combination of reduced inputs and active carbon capture is what sets conservation burial apart from other alternatives. It’s not just a lower-impact version of burial. It turns death into a direct contribution to land preservation.
What Green Burial Costs
Green burial is generally less expensive than a traditional funeral, though the savings vary widely depending on your location and choices. The national median cost of a funeral with viewing and burial was $8,300 in 2023. A funeral with cremation came in at $6,280.
Green burials cut costs by eliminating the most expensive components: embalming, a metal casket, and a concrete vault. A simple pine casket or shroud costs a fraction of a conventional casket. Cemetery fees at natural burial grounds vary, but they typically run lower than conventional plots because the site doesn’t need to install or maintain vaults. All told, a green burial can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $4,000, though conservation cemetery plots in desirable locations can push the total higher.
Cost is clearly part of the appeal. A 2025 survey by the National Funeral Directors Association found that 61.4% of consumers would be interested in exploring green funeral options, citing environmental benefits and cost savings as primary motivators. That’s up from 55.7% in 2021.
Legal Requirements and Availability
No U.S. state requires embalming for a standard burial, and no federal, state, or local law requires you to purchase a burial vault. The Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule makes this explicit: funeral homes cannot tell you that a vault is legally required if it isn’t. The vault requirement comes from individual cemetery policies, not from any government mandate. If a funeral provider claims otherwise, they must identify the specific requirement in writing.
This means green burial is technically legal everywhere in the country. The practical challenge is finding a cemetery that allows it. Conventional cemeteries have financial incentives to require vaults and full-service packages, so many simply don’t offer a vaultless option. Your best starting point is the Green Burial Council’s online directory, which lists certified hybrid, natural, and conservation burial grounds by state. Availability is growing but still uneven, with more options in the Northeast, Pacific Northwest, and parts of the South.
How to Plan a Green Burial
Planning a green burial is simpler than planning a conventional one, but it requires some advance research since not every funeral home or cemetery will be familiar with the process. Start by identifying a cemetery near you that accepts green burials. Then find a funeral home willing to work with your preferences, or consider a home funeral, which is legal in most states with varying paperwork requirements.
You’ll need to decide on a container. Options range from a hand-built pine casket to a wool shroud to a simple unbleached cotton covering. Many green burial cemeteries sell approved containers directly or can point you to suppliers. If you’re skipping embalming, the burial typically needs to happen within a few days, or the body should be kept refrigerated. Dry ice is another common cooling method that avoids chemicals entirely.
Grave depth at natural burial grounds is usually shallower than at conventional cemeteries, often three to three and a half feet rather than the standard six. This places the body in the biologically active layer of soil where decomposition happens most efficiently. Grave markers, if allowed, are simple: a native fieldstone, a GPS coordinate, or a planted tree. Some families prefer no marker at all, letting the land return fully to its natural state.