What a Green Home Funeral Guide does and 5 reasons why you should hire one

Welcome! 

Last week I shared about the varieties of death doulas and 6 questions to ask before you hire one. This week we'll branch out into green home funerals and how a guide can save you time, stress, and money! 

What is a green home funeral? 

A green home funeral can be anything from a traditional funeral held at an outdoor venue (park, garden, any place you are permitted to bring a body) with eco-friendly supplies, food, and decorations. Or someone who wants their body to be water cremated and their ashes mixed with concrete to form a coral reef seed tube. They can then have a memorial service held on the boat that drops said seed into the ocean (or celebrating on the shore if you set seasick!) with no decorations, a potluck, and service run by friends and family. 

And everything in between! If you haven't looked through my free guide to body disposition options and green home funeral costs, this could be a good introduction to your options and the average costs of each. 

What does a green home funeral guide do? 

Traditionally you'd work with a funeral home and a funeral director (either directly or through your place of religious observance) to select a pre-packaged funeral, make transportation arrangements, select decorations, and make any catering arrangements. You'd also need to contact a cemetery to purchase a plot of land, a vault if required, opening and closing services, an interment date, and a headstone. This option is what I refer to as a traditional funeral on the chart of costs in my free guide and can range from $9,000 to $15,000+ depending on how elaborate the options are that you select. 

Green funeral guides are stepping into the mainstream to help those who may not have ties to a house of worship they could use for a memorial service, and instead want a gathering at their home. These individuals might not want a traditional burial - which is highly wasteful and toxic for our planet; or cremation – which uses the amount of fuel it takes a truck to drive 600 miles, ten times what a water cremation uses. They might instead want an option for disposition that is gentler on the planet: natural burial, burial at sea; or even helps it grow - alkaline hydrolysis – water cremation, terramation – natural organic reduction, conservation burial, or coral reef seed tube to name a few. 

5 reasons to hire a green home funeral guide: 

1. With the right connections and thorough research, guides can help you find environmentally friendly and affordable options for every aspect of your funeral: decorations, casket/shroud, flowers, ceremonies, catering, etc. 

2. The main goal is to educate everyone on their rights, options, and help them select how they would like their ideal end of life celebration to happen… while planning for unforeseen circumstances. I'm working on a course, keep an eye on your inbox! 

3. After your end-of-life plan is finished, you'll be able to live without the dread of death looming over you, because you've got a plan in place to take care of yourself and your loved ones if that were to happen suddenly, or ideally after a very long and fulfilled life. 

4. Green home funeral guides can help you create and implement your funeral plan similarly to how a wedding planner assists and coordinates weddings. Less stress for your family and they'll have a loving presence to support everyone through difficult times. 

5. The cost of hiring a green home funeral guide will pay for itself by saving you thousands in funeral home overhead and attorney fees. You will still need an estate attorney to draft your will, but they won't be charging you by the hour while they help you figure out your plan! 

If you'd like to go the non-traditional route for your end-of-life plans, a green home funeral guide can help. Please share with me some of the ideas that resonated with you from this post and the free guide. 

Keep an eye on your inbox, next week I'll be sharing about the negative impact traditional burial has on the environment and a couple of friendlier options you could choose instead. 

Love and Light, 

Christine