Green baby boomers, from cradle to grave
Green baby boomers, from cradle to grave
- Sam Jones
- The Guardian,
- Saturday April 19 2008
The sunlight that fell across the floor of a corner of Epping Forest was dappled, the wind shook the upper boughs of the oaks, and nearby a woodpecker beat out a tattoo. The only unusual sight was the neat grave at the edge of the woods, dug two weeks before, but still draped with roses and lilies.
That grave - and the dozen or so others in the new Epping Forest Burial Park - are testament to an increasing preoccupation with environmental friendliness that refuses to stop at death. The park, which does not open officially for another three weeks, offers both a picturesque resting place and the reassurance that those who end up there will have done as little damage as possible to the natural world they leave behind.
No headstones are allowed, nor any coffins that are not biodegradable. That means metal or zinc-lined coffins are out, and wicker, cardboard and bamboo alternatives are in.
Mike Jarvis, director of the Natural Death Centre, which "bangs the drum for eco-friendly issues", believes people are thinking more about the environmental impact of their death.
Today the charity is holding the London Green Funeral Exhibition at Conway Hall, which will give people an opportunity to hear from botanist and environmental campaigner David Bellamy and Nick Taylor, managing director of the Epping Forest Burial Park, and to browse through a selection of eco-friendly funeral products.
"In 15 years natural burial has become one of the fastest growing eco movements in the UK," says Jarvis, who thinks that green funerals are a logical progression for the baby boomers.
They were, after all, "the first generation to take environmental concerns seriously; the first to recycle, the first to sweat over long-haul flights ... as they are now of an age where they are burying their parents, and sometimes their partners, their impact has been hugely significant." He is expecting a curious crowd running into the hundreds: "I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of people will be surprised when they walk through the doors. Fifteen years ago, the eco-friendly coffin was made of something like cardboard, but now you can get coffins made of woven materials - not just bamboo and wicker but soft jute and banana leaf."
Banana leaf coffins aren't cheap; they sell for between £500 and £600.
But there are little things we can all do: "You can make sure by buying a coffin that is made from materials that are completely sustainable or, if you're being cremated, by choosing one which won't need a huge amount of energy when burnt."
Dominic Maguire, of the National Association of Funeral Directors, which represents 3,200 funeral homes, says the majority of its members now offer cardboard or wicker coffins. But he estimates that ecoburials still make up "less than 1%" of all disposals.
Jarvis, however, reckons natural burials now account for 6.5%-7% of all burials. "If you take the way things are going, by 2010, we'll be looking at 10-11%," he says.
Whatever the figures, says David Bellamy, the time has come to think carefully about what we leave behind and where we leave it: "With over 6.4bn souls needing water, food and shelter before requiring burial, green funerals are part of the real green agenda."
agenda – agenda, plan, terminarz
bough – gałąź, konar
browse through- przeglądać, wertować
dappled – cętkowany, nakrapiany
disposal – usunięcie, likwidacja
long-haul - długodystansowy
reckon - sądzić
sustainable - zrównoważony
wicker - wiklina
woodpecker - dzięcioł
