Conventional burial practices in Michigan involve cement vaults and chemical embalming, which require resources and can contaminate the environment.
But green burials are an increasingly popular way for a loved one to rest and decompose in a biodegradable casket, made of materials like pine or a cloth shroud.
Stephen Jukuri is with the Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance. The group raises awareness on green burials and assists cemeteries in implementing them.
“There’s no cultural learning without cultural forgetting," Jukuri said. "For the last couple of generations, people have relied on all this equipment and stuff to get bodies in the ground. Nobody remembers how to get a body in the ground without all this apparatus.”
There are at least 14 Michigan cemeteries that offer natural burials.
In addition to being environmentally conscious, Jukuri said green burials are typically more cost-effective - and can be spiritually significant.
“The conventional [funerals] can feel sterile and mechanical," Jukuri said. "...For some of the [green burials], everybody hangs out, they fill in the grave, it takes an hour or two. People can socialize and remember the person - it feels natural.”
Jukuri said green burials do require some logistical considerations. Funerals have to take place quickly after a death and may not be able to happen in the winter.
For more information on green burials, visit the Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance website.
