330— Spatial trends of green burial grounds, U.S.

Green burial was the standard form of interment in the United States prior to the late 1800s. During the Civil War, the rate of chemical embalming grew out of necessity, as the deceased often had to be transported considerable distances to arrive in their home state. Chemical embalming quickly became one of the most common and accepted funeral practices in the nation. In 1993, however, the natural burial movement began in the U.K., and by 1998, the U.S. had its first green-burial-friendly cemetery. The purpose of this project is to analyze spatial, temporal, and additional significant trends regarding green burial in the U.S. Secondary data was collected from green burial websites, while primary data was collected from the web pages of individual funeral homes or cemeteries. Collected attributes included location of cemeteries, types of green burials permitted, year founded, Green Burial Council certification status, and religious affiliation. Results reveal a growth in hybrid green burial grounds across the U.S., while conservation burial grounds remain rare