Posts Tagged ‘green funeral’

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Herbal Funeral Flowers

Wednesday, July 8th, 2015

 

Herbal Funeral Flowers

Herbal Funeral Flowers

One of the biggest trends in the funeral planning industry is to find ways to combine the traditions we’ve all come to recognize with more earth-friendly memorial options. From cremation to direct burial, there are dozens of ways you can reduce the strain on the environment when a loved one dies.

Funeral flowers are part of this trend toward simpler, cleaner burial, and many families opt to have “in lieu of” donations made or to cut out the flowers altogether. Another option is to give potted plants or useful funeral bouquets—ones that show your sympathy but also provide a secondary service. Funeral flowers that are also herbs or fruit-bearing plants do just that. (more…)

What Will the Funeral of the Future Look Like?

Tuesday, August 26th, 2014

What Will the Funeral of the Future Look Like?Although the funeral industry is typically slower to change than many other fields, there have been great advances lately regarding burial options, memorial services, and funeral technology. More and more people are turning to online platforms to share their grief and make their advance funeral plans, and the traditions of the past—heavy on the more ornate process of burial in a cemetery—are being set aside for more streamlined funeral options. (more…)

How to Plan a Simple Funeral

Wednesday, July 30th, 2014

How to Plan a Simple FuneralIn all the hassle of planning funerals and choosing caskets and selecting the perfect spray of sympathy flowers to demonstrate your loss, it’s not uncommon for families to lose sight of the bigger picture of death. A funeral, no matter how or when or why it occurs, is your final chance to say goodbye, and the most important thing is that your focus remains on the deceased. If your goal is to get rid of the elaborate trappings of death and put your attention where it matters most, a simple funeral might be right for you.

Basic Funeral Options

Direct Cremation/Direct Burial: The fastest and easiest way to plan a simple funeral is to opt for direct burial or direct cremation. These options, which take care of the body without a ceremony or any elaborate details, are low in cost and provide much the same results as a more elaborate ceremony—you either end up with a box of ashes or a place to visit the deceased in a cemetery. It’s merely the process of getting there that is pared down.

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Everything You Need to Know about Rental Caskets

Tuesday, May 13th, 2014

Everything You Need to Know about Rental CasketsThere’s no denying that funeral planning is an expensive endeavor, and any way you can cut funeral costs is worth looking into. And one of the most costly parts of the funeral—the casket—is high on that list.

A casket for burial or cremation can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, depending on the material, finish, and quality of the casket. While a simple container or box is usually sufficient, most families opt for more ornate hardwoods or stainless steel to better display the body (especially if there’s an open casket or viewing). In an effort to reduce prices and still provide families with what they want, some funeral homes are turning to rental caskets.

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Natural Burial in the United States

Thursday, June 27th, 2013

Natural Burial in the United StatesFuneral planning in the United States takes on a variety of different formats. Depending on religion, personal preference, and budget, you can end up with anything from a quiet, understated affair to a three-day funeral complete with a parade procession down the city center.

Natural burial is a movement in the United States that argues in favor of the belief that “less is more.” By burying the body directly in the soil (usually in a shroud or other highly biodegradable material), natural burial enthusiasts believe that they can help the body to recycle naturally and with less of an emphasis on material trappings.

How Natural Burial Works

In a natural burial, the land is altered as little as possible. This means no putting chemicals, hardwoods, or metal into the earth, as well as staying away from ornate headstones. Burial containers take the form of biodegradable coffins, shrouds, and other items that don’t take up natural resources, and the body’s contact with the soil is something to be celebrated, rather than avoided.

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Funeral Planning How-To: Getting Ready to Send Sympathy Flowers

Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013

Funeral Planning How-To: Getting Ready to Send Sympathy FlowersWhen we hear of a loved one passing, one of the first thoughts to spring up is whether or not to send sympathy flowers. For centuries, flowers have been a part of the funeral planning process, providing beauty and comfort to the family in what is obviously a high-stress situation.

However, with so many funeral flower providers and funeral etiquette rules to follow, it can be difficult knowing where to start. Here are a few guidelines for selecting the perfect arrangement and for making sure your flowers arrive on time for the funeral.

When to Send Funeral Flowers

Ideally, you should arrange for the purchase and delivery of funeral flowers as soon as possible—but not so early the flowers arrive before the funeral occurs. The best idea is to wait until the funeral home and date of service have been arranged. Most funeral flower companies can use that information to coordinate the delivery with the funeral director, ensuring that your gift arrives on time to be showcased at the memorial service.

Of course, there is no time limit on this sort of thing. If you live out of town or were away when the death announcement was originally made, you can arrange for a sympathy arrangement to be sent to the family well after the service. In fact, since they may be overwhelmed with flowers immediately after the funeral, this slight delay can provide comfort in the weeks following the death.

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The Environmental Impact of Cremation

Thursday, April 11th, 2013

The Environmental Impact of CremationOne of the most common reasons to choose cremation over burial is because of the reputed environmental benefit. In an age when all of us are looking for ways to reduce our impact on the environment, cremation provides a quick and easy solution. Cheaper than a traditional funeral and increasingly more accepted in traditional funeral planning circles, cremation is fast becoming the preferred choice for today’s funeral consumers.

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Green Funeral Options: Funeral Plants

Tuesday, February 26th, 2013

Green Funeral Options: Funeral PlantsFuneral flowers are one of those things that almost everyone associates with the traditional funeral setting. From huge commemorative wreaths to the casket flowers that add a touch of color and brightness to a memorial service, many people find that sending sympathy flowers is a great way to show your love and help support the bereaving family.

However, with green funerals on the rise, it might not feel right to spend money on a display that will only last for a few days. While some families preserve funeral flowers or turn the blooms into potpourri, others end up throwing the decaying flowers out. That’s why alternative funeral flower options like funeral plants exist.

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Green Funeral Planning: Carbon Neutral Cremation

Monday, February 11th, 2013

Green Funeral Planning: Carbon Neutral CremationMany people choose cremation or green burial as a way to make less of a negative impact on the environment when they die. These kinds of options, which cost less than traditional funeral methods, almost always rely on minimum preservation (as in, no embalming) and use materials for caskets and urns that don’t strain our world’s natural resources.

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Green Burial Casket Options

Sunday, January 27th, 2013

Green Burial Casket OptionsGreen funerals are an increasingly popular choice for funeral planning in the modern age. Not only can you say goodbye to your loved ones in a way that doesn’t put a strain on the environment, but eco-friendly burial options also allow you to save up to thousands of dollars on traditional casket materials.

“Green” caskets, or coffins made from earth-friendly, biodegradable materials, serve the same function as metal caskets, but with a faster decomposition time. Since there is no way to halt the natural progress of a body’s decay (you can only delay it), green burial options skip many of the unnecessary steps and costs associated with a funeral and allow you to put your focus where it really belongs—on your loved ones.

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