Green funerals and planning

“Green” funerals and planning

The No. 1 trend in funerals is personalisation, which I absolutely love, followed by seeking a more environmentally friendly funeral.

The personalisation of what a person wants for their funeral service is a wonderful thing. Choosing the venue, the type of service, who speaks, the music that’s played, whether they’d like a natural burial, a “standard” burial, or to be cremated and then their ashes scattered or interred brings comfort to people.

In some countries and in a couple of places in Australia, there are also some new offerings for the deceased, such as human composting, vertical burial and water cremation, none of which are available in the Eurobodalla as yet, but natural burial and shrouded burial are available at Walawaani Way Conservation Burial in Bodalla.

It is now legal to have shrouded burials in NSW (with the permission of the Cemetery), as well as shrouded cremations (with the permission of the Crematorium), so the environmental impact is reduced by not having to use a coffin, just a shroud bearer.

I often hear “all I want is a cardboard box and then my body to be returned to nature”.

Great, we can do that, but does your family know your wishes?

Have you prepared all your end of life planning paperwork such as a Will, an Advance Care Directive, your funeral plan, and told the people who matter to you where to find them all? Having to try and find your written wishes after you’ve died, or even worse, finding them only after the funeral has taken place, can be heart breaking for the people who care about you.

Did you know that a few hours of planning could spare the people close to you enormous, avoidable pain, confusion, and heartache?

Did you know that end of life planning isn’t about death at all? It’s about living on your own terms, right up until the very end and then being cared for after death in your preferred manner.

Talking about death often teaches us how to live, it can also ease your mind.

You can contact Tree of Life Funerals https://www.treeoflifefunerals.com.au/ to find out more, or Walawaani Way and go on a guided tour of their beautiful grounds.

https://www.walawaaniway.com/

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