Woodland, Green or Natural Burial? They're different words for the same core values*
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The Green Burial Council provides the gold standards for what qualifies for certification at three level. Not all cemetery spot for certification, but most follow the standards the GBC has developed as best practices. The comparison chart here details each in columns by type. The beige column indicates hybrid, the brown indicates natural, and the teal indicates conservation. For a detailed, downloadable pdf of the Green Burial Standards, follow this link:
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Whether you are reclaiming and hybridizing a neglected historic cemetery, designing and defining a new conservation burial ground on land that has been decimated by offenses such as clear-cutting or over-grazing, or protecting pristine land, carrying forth the sacred trust of perpetuating its natural state by introducing an additional layer of legally protected status, you will need to begin by establishing benchmarks that document the land's condition, from soil health to vegetation and wildlife. Include in your inventories all of the landscape's natural features you can identify.
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To Repair or Not to Repair?Old cemeteries can provide a wealth of local history. Archivists, genealogists and even art historians are among the treasure hunters who love to sleuth around dilapidated graveyards looking for hidden gems.
At some point, it becomes important to decide the future of old monuments: attempt to salvage, restore, preserve, or allow them to crumble back into the landscape? Even the legendary Paris cemetery, Pere Lachaise, grapples with the mixed community values, whether to allow nature to "re-naturalise" the landscape, or attempt to clean up and preserve the collapsing old relics. Should the policy to renew or rewild be made by the descendants of those buried there? Will the support of the community be influenced by the cemetery's condition? |
"I have been working with Holly Blue Hawkins on the Soquel Historic Cemetery committee for over a year. Holly has been very helpful in providing insight, guidance and enthusiasm for the difficult project to revitalize a neglected historic cemetery in Soquel, California." |
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