Sharon Township considers ‘green’ burial practices in cemetery addition

The Sharon Township cemetery will likely be expanding in 2021

A planned expansion of the Sharon Township cemetery is progressing, with part of the process including the Planning Commission working on revising the township’s ordinance to have more green burial information.

Sharon Township trustee and sexton, Trudi Cooper, says, “My intention is to slowly begin a conversation about green burial, and later this year to announce an informational meeting sometime in January. The time and date and presenter is not yet decided, so stay tuned for updates.”

The new cemetery is being developed just north of the Town Hall, adjacent to the old cemetery. Cooper says there is not a final plot plan yet, but that the green burials will be in a separate area, although green burials can still take place in the “conventional” part of the cemetery.

Cooper shared an information sheet with frequently asked questions about Green Burial, including how the current movement came about. A 2018 survey by the National Funeral Directors Association indicated that more than half (53.8%) of respondents would be interested in learning more about the practice.

The historical perspective shows that prior to 1860, care of the dead was largely handled by families, with burial on private property or in church cemeteries. Caskets were made of pine and often bodies were simply wrapped in a shroud of old quilts, sheets, or other fabric. “All materials were organic, and no impediments were added that would delay natural decomposition.”

Following the Civil War, care of the dead began to be taken into the hands of undertakers, who used the practice of embalming. This became popular with the affluent population for preservative reasons, and cosmetic purposes, and the middle class followed suit.

In 1930, the year King Tut’s tomb was opened to the public, Wilbert Haas, a German-American concrete business owner, toured the tomb, resulting in the idea to encase caskets in concrete vaults. Cemetery managers began writing bylaws to include vaults as a matter of course, although the orderliness and hygiene promises were eventually left behind.

In the late 1990s, green burial migrated to the US from the UK in South Carolina, with Dr. Billy Campbell and his wife Kimberley starting Ramsey Creek Conservation Burial Ground. Twenty-some years later, more than 200 green burial cemeteries are in operation, all with significant practices in common: burial without vaults, using biodegradable materials, and absence of toxic embalming fluids, the way we started out.

Cooper explains, “By creating a dedicated space within the property in general or in an adjacent lot for vaultless burial, maintenance consistency, access points, and a host of other potential complications may be avoided. What happens in green space with regard to chemical, pest, and nuisance animal control, along with maintenance schedules and chosen best practices, stays in that area, making it possible to budget and schedule accordingly.” She adds that it is also aesthetically pleasing to many who want to be buried in a less manicured or tame place with others who share similar beliefs. “Their sense of place is different from the usual, where people choose based on geographical proximity to home. For green burial families, sense of place has as much to do with what is above ground in direct connection to the grave space as in what town the burial occurs.”

For that reason, she is eager to get started on the project as the township looks to expand its options in the coming year. She stresses that the cost of green burial should be relatively the same as traditional methods.

“Green burial plots need not be different from conventional plot pricing,” she says. “Although there is maintenance for both, it is different–not necessarily more or less intensive. In fact, not having to haul around heavy equipment, spread herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers, mow and trim, or clean and repair headstones could mean big savings on perpetual care. What green burial families are paying for is the same thing anyone else is: real estate in a specific location. Whatever the going rate is in your cemetery or general region for a plot should apply universally.”

“I am excited about this project!” she concludes “I think green burial is the future and I want to do everything I can to bring it about, starting with education.”

The topic of cemetery expansion (although right now primarily regarding the ordinance, not the green burial practice) is on the Sharon Township board’s agenda each month. The board meets at 7 pm on the first Thursday of the month.

A fascinating marker in the old Sharon Township cemetery includes this veteran’s stone from the War of 1812. This burial probably was a traditionally “green” burial, judging by its dates (pre-1860).

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.