In a serene meadow dotted with wildflowers, a family gathers to say goodbye to a loved one. But this isn’t a typical funeral – it’s a green burial, part of a growing movement towards more eco-friendly end-of-life practices.

Green burials eschew embalming chemicals, metal caskets, and concrete vaults in favor of biodegradable materials and natural decomposition. Bodies are buried in simple shrouds or eco-friendly caskets, often in natural settings that double as nature preserves.

But the eco-friendly options don’t stop there. Some people are choosing to have their ashes turned into coral reefs to support marine life, or have trees planted in their memory to create lasting forests.

“It’s comforting to know that even after death, we can give back to the earth,” one family member reflected. “It feels like a final act of care for the planet that sustained us.”

These green end-of-life options are not only reducing the environmental impact of death care but also offering people meaningful ways to leave a positive legacy. It’s a reminder that our choices can have a lasting impact on the health of our planet, even beyond our lifetimes.