Hudson Valley Green Burial Association's Interests
General
What follows is a shocking list of natural resources and chemicals buried in the US annually in traditional cemeteries:
827,060 gallons of embalming fluid 90,272 tons of steel caskets
2,700 tons of copper and bronze caskets
1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete vaults
14,000 tons of steel vaults
30 million board feet of hardwood
(including much tropical wood) caskets
On a typical 10 acre plot of cemetery, you could construct about 40 houses with the wood that has been buried; with the concrete, that and then some.
The average amount of "funeral waste" per corpse is about 127 gallons. It is the policy of some municipalities to run a chlorine bleach drip down the drain with the waste, while others dispose of it untreated.
GREENSPRNGS ~ NEWFIELD, NY Currently the only natural burial site in New York State, near Ithaca
FROM HBO's AWARD-WINNING "SIX FEET UNDER", WHICH BROUGHT GREEN FUNERALS TO THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF MAINSTREAM AMERICA.
L I N K S
www.donatelife.net (please be an organ donor!)
www.embalming.net
www.greenburials.org
www.bluelips.com (putting the fun into death!)
www.greenburialcouncil.org/
http://www.funerals-ripoffs.org/-2dPlan1.htm (avoiding funeral biz traps!)
www.greenburials.org/links.htm
www.locksoflove.org (hair donation for cancer patients)
www.forestofmemories.org/media (green burial info)
www.kinkaraco.com (burial shrouds)
naturalburial.org (currently the only natural burial site in New York State)
A few traditional burial misconceptions:
When you are sold a casket that seals, with the propaganda statement that it will "keep your loved one sealed away from the elements," what they don’t tell you is that this only holds true for the hearse ride over to the cemetery. Protective seal caskets won't protect you. Anaerobic bacteria in your body- which thrive in the airless atmosphere of a sealed casket- cause you to rapidly bloat and liquefy inside your container before it bursts. Concrete vaults are not hermetically sealed, and 80% of them fill up with water. Due to the fact that tombs and caskets leak over time, the grounds of most cemeteries are polluted with chemicals such as formaldehyde and arsenic from older grave sites.
An alternative for sustainable burial is for human remains to be cremated without being embalmed or placed in a casket prior. Some crematories enforce the use of shrouds or cardboard caskets, and this is a much better alternative to the cremation of a traditional casket. Nonetheless, cremation has it's own environmental issues surrounding fuel usage and pollution.
With all due respect, some funeral homes will sell you embalment as a matter of course even if you are planning cremation, because so many people think that it's the law. They may also sell you an expensive casket as the last hurrah for the deceased. Why buy something like that just to burn it?
Contrary to popular belief, embalming is not a necessary step in human burial, nor is it required by law. If you are considering cremation, inquire about the bare essentials and be persistent. Don’t quit until you receive real answers. Also, whether you are considering ground burial, burial at sea, or even a temporary stay on the mantel, ask your funeral home or crematory about biodegradable urns, shrouds and caskets.
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ORGAN DONATION
Television
Six Feet Under
Books
"Grave Matters" by Mark Harris
"Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" by Mary Roach
"The American Way of Death" by Jessica Mitford
Heroes
Mark Harris, Alan Ball, people who care to educate themselves and make a difference
Hudson Valley Green Burial Association's Details
Status:
Single
Zodiac Sign:
Virgo
Occupation:
Natural Death Care Advocates
Hudson Valley Green Burial Association's Companies
Winds of Change Ministries Highland, NY, US www.windsofchangeministries.org
Hudson Valley Green Burial Association Kingston, NY, US
Hudson Valley Green Burial Association CARES ABOUT NATURAL DEATH CARE Posted at 5:21 PM Apr 14, 2008 view more
WE SPEND OUR ENTIRE LIVES TAKING RESOURCES FROM THIS EARTH. HOW HONORING IT WOULD BE TO GIVE A LITTLE SOMETHING BACK AS OUR FINAL GESTURE... SOMETHING BESIDES CONCRETE, PRECIOUS HARDWOODS, METALS AND TOXIC CHEMICALS.
Many of us would like to be put in the ground naturally when our time comes, but few individuals realize how difficult that is. There is nothing simple about modern day burials. THERE ARE CURRENTLY ONLY 12 PUBLIC BURIAL SITES IN THE UNITED STATES THAT ARE DESIGNATED FOR GREEN BURIALS.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT MADE FOR HVGBA BY PATRICIA GILLESPIE
WILL THIS BE THE FIRST GREEN FUNERAL HOME IN AMERICA?
Green burials-- a.k.a. natural burials or eco-funerals-- usually refers to the burying of human remains in the earth with the body intact and wrapped in only a shroud, or placed in a cardboard or pine box, without embalming. Although these have been perfectly sustainable ways of disposing of bodies for thousands of years, it is now commonplace to drain the veins and puncture the organs, pump the body full of chemicals, wire the jaw shut, plug up the anus with a plastic screw, place the body in a $5,000+ casket, and lower it into a concrete vault covered in chemically fertilized turf (this is not true of Jewish or Muslim funerals). Even cremated bodies are usually embalmed and placed in expensive caskets for viewing before being burned.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to provide natural death care and burials due to bureaucratic measures, especially in New York State.
A small group of concerned citizens has formed a committee to raise awareness on sustainable burials in Hudson Valley, New York, to urge municipalities and private cemeteries to offer diversity in burial options, and to persuade funeral homes to offer sustainable options to embalming. This is the non-profit, grass roots Hudson Valley Green Burial Association.
It's official! I'll be coming out there to spend a week with some friends in mid-August. Hope we will get to spend some time together too! Stay green! ~Kelly D.
Would you Interested in saving money at the pump, improving the power and life of your engine, extending your miles per gallon up to 25% and cutting back on harmful vehicle emissions up to 50% therefore every vehicle that uses eefuel would begin reducing carbon emissions equivanlant to planting 40 large mature trees thats remarkable. With a few ounces of EEFuel added to your tank of gas, you can achieve all of the above and so much more. No, this is not a info-mercial or spam advertisement. This is the real deal that will only help you and everyone around you. Join me in the fight against Global Warming and save some money along the way. Message me if interested, im also looking for distributors of eeFuel.
Green Jobs Now is a National Day of Action to send the message to our leaders that, when it comes to creating green jobs for a more sustainable economy, PEOPLE ARE READY!
Green people, fairies, wiccans angelic Meryl Joan Lammers, pop Goddess Quitzow, Organic rock and shoes off at the door....sounds like heaven on Earth to me.... See you at The Livng Seed sister!
My plan is to be burned on a big Pyre if possible, but hey, you never know.
I think the Tibetian method is also a good option. Either way, Going back to the land. I love these mountains, and I would love to be a part of them some day.
..... 
Cosmic Tara Blessings
OM Carol
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