Green burial near South Bend

Yes, you can have a green burial here. Saint Joseph Cemetery in South Bend has a green burial section certified by the Green Burial Council. The next nearest certified options are in southwest Michigan, about an hour and a half away.

What a green burial is

A green (or natural) burial returns the body to the earth as simply as possible: no embalming chemicals, no concrete vault, and a casket or shroud that breaks down naturally, like plain pine, wicker, or cotton. The Green Burial Council describes it as “caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact.”

The Council certifies three kinds of cemeteries:

• Hybrid: a regular cemetery with a green section, or green burial throughout. Certified hybrids don't require vaults and allow any biodegradable container.
• Natural: the whole cemetery is green. No vaults, no embalming chemicals, and markers only of native stone.
• Conservation: a natural cemetery that also protects the land for good, with a conservation group.

What Indiana law does and doesn't require

• Embalming: not required in most cases. Federal rules make every funeral home tell you that “except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law.” Some funeral homes require it for a public viewing as their own policy, so ask.
• A vault: no Indiana law requires one. When a vault is required, it's the cemetery's rule. Green sections don't use them.
• Your own casket or shroud: a funeral home has to accept one you buy or make yourself, without charging you a fee for it.
• Where: Indiana law says burial happens in an established cemetery. Burying on your own land is not a simple option here; if you're thinking about it, talk to your county health department first.

What a green burial costs

It can cost less than a traditional burial, because you skip embalming, the vault, and an expensive casket. It isn't always cheaper, though: green graves are sometimes larger, and some funeral homes charge a lot for a simple pine box. The Funeral Consumers Alliance found:

• A grave and burial in a green cemetery: about $1,000 to $4,000 for a body, or $200 to $1,000 for ashes.
• A green funeral with a simple pine casket: about $2,000 is typical, though some funeral homes charge $5,000 or more.

Ask any funeral home for its written price list. They're required to give you one, and you can choose only the items you want.

Green options for ashes

Ashes can go in a green section too, in a biodegradable urn, or be scattered. In a regular cemetery, an urn vault is only needed if the cemetery requires one. Do I need an urn vault?

What to ask the cemetery

1. Do you have a green or natural burial section, and is it certified?
2. What can the body be buried in: a shroud, a pine or wicker casket?
3. Do you require embalming, a vault, or a grave liner anywhere in the section?
4. What markers are allowed?
5. What do the grave and the opening and closing cost?