These groups may not seem to have much in common on the surface.

However, all may hold some interest in the green burial process, which is a return to a more traditional burial method that uses a biodegradable shroud or coffin and doesn’t involve a vault or toxic embalming fluids, said Stephen Jukuri, president of the Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance.

Green burial uses fewer resources than conventional burial methods, minimizes the burial’s carbon footprint and allows for the natural decomposition of a body, he said.

Furthermore, this type of burial can help preserve land, as green burial areas are typically not paved or manicured as a typical cemetery would be, he said.

The green burial area at the Chassell Township Cemetery is pictured. The area is maintained as a natural woodland forest, without the large headstones and manicured lawns typically seen in conventional cemeteries. This is one of the first green burial areas in the Upper Peninsula, according to the Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance. (Photo courtesy of Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance)

“With natural burial, people have come to realize you actually can do the land a favor by maintaining it in its natural state,” he said.

There are a myriad of potential benefits to green burial — it’s economical, allows a connection with nature, aids conservation practices and encourages a return to traditional methods, he said.

“For most of human history, this is the way humans buried their dead,” Jukuri said.

By using a green burial option, the use of concrete, metal, plastic and other materials in cemeteries can be reduced and a person’s body can be placed in a biodegradable coffin or shroud to return to the earth in a natural way, he said.

He also noted that while many have long thought of cremation as the most environmentally-friendly method, green burial is likely to be equivalent or better — it doesn’t produce smoke, and while green burial cemeteries use land, they can help preserve wooded areas and protect them from development.

A conventional cemetery is shown. Large headstones, paved pathways and lawns shown in the photo are not typical of green burial cemeteries. (Stock photo courtesy of Pexels)

Beyond the eco-friendly aspects of green burial, Jukuri said, there can also be a beneficial emotional component of the process — through green burial, families, friends and loved ones can be more directly involved in the process.

“It just ends up being a more meaningful experience,” he said, noting that a central part of grieving is “allowing yourself to fully experience this is what’s happened.”

For example, pallbearers for a green burial will carry the coffin a greater distance, as hearses and other vehicles are typically not allowed to travel as far into a green burial section of a cemetery.

“In that process, we find that it really creates an experience, it’s a fundamental life experience when the people you care about die and you can take care of them by doing the things they can no longer do for themselves,” he said.

Furthermore, he said family members and friends can assist in filling in the grave of their loved one in some green burial circumstances, which can give them a valuable chance to connect and reflect with one another.

“It slows you down and it lets you have a more natural conversation about things … this is the time when you get to spend some time reflecting,” he said. “You find yourself talking about the person a lot, you find yourself remembering some things and sharing these memories. This only happens with unstructured time.”

In the Keewenaw Peninsula, green burial is now an option in two locations and more people are becoming more intersted, Jukuri said.

“It’s gaining interest much more quickly than we expected and we do have a couple more cemeteries we’re exploring,” he said.

Because of growing interest in green burial throughout the region, Jukuri recently came to Marquette and gave a presentation through the Northern Center for Lifelong Learning to inform Marquette-area residents about the Keweenaw’s approach and process for bringing green burial options to their community.

The Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance got started about 10 years ago, initially intending to create a new conservation cemetery for green burial in the area, Jukuri said.

However, there are many challenges surrounding the creation of an entire new cemetery in the state of Michigan — about five years ago, the group began conversations with existing local cemeteries to see if they would be open to creating green burial options at their existing cemeteries, he said.

Two cemeteries came on board around three years ago, he said, which, to the best of his knowledge, offer the first green burial options in the Upper Peninsula.

“Chassell Township up here in the Keweenaw, they created a separate green burial area — a new area — in a forested area, and their rules say that it will be maintained as a natural woodland forest, which means we won’t be planting grass, mowing, raking leaves,” he said, noting that grave sites can have markers flush with the ground that families can maintain, but the area will grow into a forest over time.

Jukuri said some have shared concerns about animals interacting with green burial sites, but the group has researched the matter matter and found it is highly unlikely that wild animals would disturb a human grave for a number of reasons.

“We can’t find any evidence that it would be a problem,” he said.

For those who would like more information about green burial, Jukuri recommends contacting the alliance or visiting its website, which offers many planning resources, including a directory of funeral directors and cemeteries, at https://kgba.weebly.com.

Jukuri recommends that those who are seriously considering green burial contact a funeral director and fill out a green burial planning document accessible on the alliance’s website to communicate their wishes and needs to the director in advance.

“We do recommend discussing plans with funeral directors well ahead of time so you can find one that’s a good fit,” he said.