Green Funerals
Regard for the environment and a stewardship of nature is a growing concern for many people. The chemicals and containers used in modern funerals have left some folks searching for a more natural solution. We hear your concerns and are exploring more green solutions to balance a meaningful service with eco-friendly choices.
Green funerals offer a profoundly organic means of returning to the earth. Known interchangeably as natural burial, this practice has been the customary way of laying the deceased to rest across many cultures throughout history. It represents a method of honoring the departed with reverence while ensuring minimal ecological footprint. The spectrum of green burial encompasses various practices, from the natural burial of the body using biodegradable containers to the conservation of cremated remains in environmentally conscious urns or their scattering.
Pricing and Merchandise
Green Burial Funeral Package
$6,700
- Consultation and counseling with a licensed funeral director
- Transfer of the deceased
- Sanitary care and preparation of the deceased including refrigeration
- Hybrid vehicle transportation to the cemetery
- Coordinating all those providing other portions of the service such as the cemetery and clergy
- Obtaining and filing of the death certificate
- Temporary grave marker (as specified by cemetery)
- Providing a licensed funeral director at the cemetery
- Personalized page on our website
- Package does not include casket and other merchandise as selected
Additional Services
Bamboo Burial Shroud...................................................................................................................................$400
Chapel Service with Webcasting.......................................................................................................................$450
Limousine...................................................................................................................................................$475 per limousine
Grave Opening.............................................................................................................................................As set by the cemetery
Burial Containers
Service Options
Visitation
This time is set aside for family and friends to gather together to say goodbye, while being in the comfort of those closest to them. We can personalize the visitation to be as unique as your loved one with a tribute video, items or displays that were important to your loved one, or simply pictures displayed. We will work with your family to design the perfect gathering experience. If you choose not to use embalming a visitation is still possible, however options for viewing will need to be discussed.
Funeral or Memorial Service
The funeral or memorial service can be held in our chapel, a church, or any other venue the family chooses. We work with our families to design a service that honors their loved one with stories, music, or scripture. We also have life celebrants that lead services where clergy may not be chosen. Our celebrants are trained in creating experiences that help start the healing process.
Graveside Service
A graveside service can be held in place of a funeral and can be preceded by visitation at the cemetery or at the funeral home if desired.
Committal Service
A committal service is typically held immediately following the funeral service at the cemetery.
Natural Burial Grounds
Because of cemetery requirement it is often hard to find a location that allows the green burial you may want. We are fortunate to have a natural burial conservation site within minutes of our location. This allows for individuals to be returned to nature in the most environmentally friendly way possible, in an all-natural material casket, urn or shroud.
“"Nature calms you, it settles you and allows you to step back and
reflect on the very essence of what living is about."
Cemeteries
List of Services
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Serenity Ridge Natural Burial Cemetery and ArboretumList Item 1
Serenity Ridge Natural Burial Cemetery and Arboretum was founded on the belief that our community needed a simpler more natural place of burial, open to everyone. They are certified by the Green Burial Council, the national certifying body for green burial standards for natural cemeteries in the United States. By these standards, a natural burial ground requires the adoption of practices/protocols that are energy-conserving, minimize waste, and do not allow the use of toxic chemicals. Everything used for burial is renewable.
2406 Ridge Road, Windsor Mill, MD 21244
email: natural@serenityridgemd.com
phone: 240-628-8725
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Morris Orchard Natural Burial
​Morris Orchard Natural Burial is a serene, eco-conscious cemetery located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Frederick, Maryland. Set within a historic nut orchard, it offers a peaceful, natural setting for environmentally sustainable burials.
Emphasizing simplicity and ecological responsibility, Morris Orchard avoids embalming chemicals and non-biodegradable materials, allowing for a natural return to the earth. Graves are marked with native stone or plantings, preserving the landscape's natural beauty.
Beyond serving as a final resting place, Morris Orchard fosters community through events like annual memorial chestnut roasts and educational workshops on green burial practices. As a registered cemetery, it is protected from future development, ensuring the preservation of its tranquil environment for generations to come.
9489 Pear Lane, Frederick, MD 21702
email: michael@morrisorchardnaturalburial.com
phone: 240-344-5625
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Bestgate Memorial ParkList Item 3
Bestgate Memorial Park, formerly known as Pine Lawn, is located in Annapolis. Bestgate has a dedicated section for their Green Burials.
814 Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD 21401
phone: 410-841-6255
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Congressional CemeteryList Item 4
Historic Congressional Cemetery is an interdenominational burial ground and accommodates several types of interments, from eco-friendly green burials and inurnments to traditional casket burials. They do not have a dedicated section for their Green Burials.
1801 E. Street Southeast, Washington, DC 20003
email: staff@congressionalcemetery.org
phone: 202-543-0539
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Woodlawn Memorial Park, LLC.
Founded in 1957 on what was originally Plugge Farm, Woodlawn Memorial Park, LLC. sits on 55 acres just 5 miles outside of Easton, MD on Rte. 50. Woodlawn Memorial Park is proud to offer a Natural Burial Section, named Wildflower Garden.
11365 Ocean Gateway, Easton, MD 21601
email: info@woodlawneaston.com
phone: 410-822-4282
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Reflection ParkList Item 2
Reflection Park is a non-profit, multi-faith, natural burial ground under development in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Reflection Park will live on a 40-acre parcel of land centrally located in northern Silver Spring, less than a 30-minute drive from Washington, D.C. or Baltimore.
They anticipate opening at the end of 2026.
16621 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20905
phone: 443-840-6775
