by Darryl Simcoe, Founder, Pet Memorial Acres

Summer at Pet Memorial Acres

My interest in pet cemeteries evolved from my research into green burials. I came across the website for Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve located in Newfield, New York. A human cemetery, it is one of a very few cemeteries in New York State that provide the option of a green burial for all people. [Note: New York State cemetery law prohibits animals from being buried in human cemeteries.]

Why promote green burial? We believe that doing so is in the best interest of our environment. I remember celebrating the first Earth Day in 1970, the year I graduated from high school – it was our generation’s response to the rapidly deteriorating conditions of our environment. Today, as a retired scuba instructor, I appreciate the fragility and significance of our world’s oceans and the need to protect all water sources from pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides. For decades, I’ve supported recycling and environmental preservation, and in researching modern funerals, am quite troubled by the tons of formaldehyde, toxic metals, exotic tropical woods, concrete and synthetic materials buried each year in cemeteries.

Most importantly, we promote green burials because we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in safe and beautiful environments. Intrigued by the ideas of green burials for pets and resource preservation, I began researching contemporary pet cemetery operations. It quickly became evident that in most regions throughout the U.S., pet guardians did not have the option of having a green burial in a licensed and dedicated (in perpetuity) cemetery. I began to envision a pet cemetery that not only provided this option, but that encouraged green burials in general.

Pet Memorial Acres – Winter Calm

Subsequently, I founded Pet Memorial Acres (www.MemorialAcres.com). On September 11, 2012 we opened our pet memorial park in central New York – at 9363 Fitch Road in the Town of Brookfield. We’re now able to offer a more naturalistic burial of one’s pets’ remains along with a range of funeral service options to bereaved families. So, our connection with the Green Pet-Burial Society is very timely!

Our motto is “We provide options.” When I began thinking about establishing a pet cemetery, I wanted to be able to accommodate the needs of each individual grieving for a pet, including those who are ecologically-minded. This meant finding a location that had no prohibitions against green burials. Fortunately, I found a beautiful 14+ acre plot of land that provides a combination of areas appropriate for graves, open fields, woodlands and wildlife, and which even had a section of federally protected wetland, ideal for bird watching. It’s a wonderful piece of land to preserve for future generations and overlooks a large pond, hillside and wetland.

Moe – our Big Kahuna

Our goal at Pet Memorial Acres is to provide compassionate, ethical and quality services to meet each pet guardian’s specific needs. In keeping with our motto, we designated an area for green-only burials within our Valley View section. This area currently contains 127 burial plots. Families also have the option for a green burial in any of the other plots in our park.

As I mentioned to Eric, we intend to approach the development and maintenance of our memorial park with a conservationist’s sensibility. That includes avoidance of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Burial plots will be mowed and maintained, but within an area that is otherwise preserved and left as natural as possible. We will strive for low impact to the surrounding area. And the property is protected and dedicated in perpetuity.

We applaud the efforts of the Green Pet-Burial Society in working to preserve our natural resources and to promote green practices by cemetery operators. Pet Memorial Acres looks forward to working with the Society to encourage environmental sustainability in the pet-aftercare services field.

About Darryl D. Simcoe

Before founding Pet Memorial Acres, Darryl Simcoe served as an administrator for Colgate University for 27 years in the area of instructional technology. A strong supporter of volunteerism, his concern for others has been conveyd in numerous ways. Simcoe served his communities as a volunteer firefighter; Emergency Medical Technician, ambulance driver, and deputy chief of Southern Madison County Ambulance Corp.; underwater rescue and recovery diver for Madison and Onondaga Counties; commissioner and chair of Madison County (NY) Conditional Release Commission; member and chair of Community Advisory Board for Camp Georgetown Correctional Facility; director and president of the Hamilton Interfaith Council Emergency Food Cupboard; member and director of the Hamilton Community Chest; and lay member representing Park U.M. Church to North Central New York Annual Conference.

Share this post with others
Sign-up for email notices of new developments
‘Like us’ on Facebook
Support green pet-burials with your gift, today

Why is this important?

It’s not only about burials – it’s so much more than that! It’s about our worldviews of Nature, animals and our own humanity, and it’s about embracing all that is simple and beautiful in life. We’ve learned of four new green cemeteries that allow a pet’s remains to be buried in the family plot – two in the U.S. and two in the U.K. –  and we’ve seen established pet cemeteries plan for new green burial sections. Here are some other highlights:

Social Media

We finally got current and began blogging and posting interesting information, stories and images on our Facebook page. Visitors to our Facebook page, as to our website, will find an increasing amount of fascinating information about animals, bereavement and funerary practices throughout the world.

Family Spirals™

We will officially be a program of the new nonprofit, Family Spirals™, which is in the final stages of development. It will operate as an international think tank about family identity, cohesion and trauma, and as a provider of capacity building support to professionals and volunteers who work with families. Our Society will find its home within the division dedicated to “Families with Animals.”

We moved!

In October 2012, we moved our office from Northern California to Los Angeles. This should facilitate networking with thought leaders in conservation and bereavement, pet care, grief services, as well as human and pet cemeteries. As the second largest city in the U.S. and a center for media, we are expecting to enhance our ability to reach the public. Then there is the history of Hollywood – at right is a photo of Rudolph Valentino and his dog Kabar (who passed three years after Valentino and was one of the first to be buried at the LA Pet Memorial Park).

In the News

Several news outlets have written about green pet-burials and favorably mentioned our Society in their coverage, including CNN online, Mother Nature Network (MNN), and The Miami Herald.

Improving our Website

We adopted a more robust layout this past year, and are looking forward to our next update. We continually add important content throughout the year. In order to bring greater clarity to our projects, we completely revised our general brochure, and created a new informational postcard (to be posted soon) – both are available for distribution.

Whole-Family Cemetery Workgroup

We’ve convened a workgroup of six highly respected green cemeteries, all of which allow for full body pet-burial in the family cemetery plot. Together, we are addressing challenges and identifying effective practices.

As children we learn to be with other animals, and as adults we seek to remove those artificial barriers to such connections upon death. More about this group and our findings in the new year.

Transportation

What a relief to those who travel with their companion animals – who may have to face the horrible ordeal of figuring out how to arrange for their beloved pets’ burial back home. We’ve identified a nationwide transportation network, and provided instructions for preparing the body for transportation, in order to help the bereaved make immediate plans to transport their pet’s remains home.

Outreach

We had our first major public outreach event by tabling at the Green Festival LA in November. This was our first opportunity to introduce ourselves to LA, and we connected with journalists, artists, and hopefully a few volunteers. We shared a table with the wonderful National Museum of Animals & Society.

Of course we cannot do this work without your support. To cover the costs of materials, printing, and professional services, your gift is greatly valued! Please make your donation today to help us bring simplicity back to our lives with animals.

Wishing you and yours an inspired new year.

Eric Greene
Founder & President

Share this posting with others who may also be interested.
Sign-up for email and Facebook notices of new developments.
Support our efforts with a gift today.

This night before Thanksgiving, I saw a stunning and quite surprising film on PBS – part of its Nature series. Entitled My life as a turkey, it chronicles the hatching, growing, learning, exploring and socialization of two groups of sibling wild turkeys and their adopted man-mom, naturalist Joe Hutto (played by Jeff Palmer). Remarkably,
Joe was “born into a hardcore turkey hunting family and culture.” Fascinating
and utterly moving, this film illustrates a somewhat enviable experience of living with young turkeys (‘poults’):

These animals were telling me how to live my life; also, we [humans] do not have a privileged access to reality.

Stories of human-turkey relationships only provide greater credence to the families any of us may form with other creatures – dogs, cats, rabbits, rats – all of whom deserve our affection and rescue from otherwise terrible ends by human hands.

The scene that prompted this post: two of the birds had died, and we see Joe digging their graves. Burying a turkey? We ask ourselves, especially at Thanksgiving, why we would collectively bury one animal yet would eat another. In this case, it isn’t regarding different species (e.g., dog vs. pig), but a comparison of turkey with turkey. How can a distinction be conceived? It has less to do with the species of animal, and more to do with our perception and relationship with them: if they are conceived as part of a group or as individuals, as a resource or a person(ality). For Joe it is simple: they were family.

We may think about and explore such questions more in the future; for now, here’s a quote from the film, inspired by Joe’s book, Illumination in the Flatwoods, regarding his and the surving birds’ reaction to their shared loss:

Today I lost two birds to some unknown illness, and I feel heartbroken. There’s no question about my connection to this family. There’s no question that we all feel some deep sadness. The effect on this group is palpable. Emotions are certainly not peculiar to the human experience. In their observation of death, the death of another turkey that is a member of their group, it’s a very conscious behavior, as if they’re trying to understand what the meaning of this is.

Later, we observe a particularly strong relationship maturing with one turkey whom Joe names Turkey Boy: we see it shift from parent-child to brother-friend, to an all out sibling attack. Such a turn has bearing on the work of Family Spirals™ (the organization which hosts our Green Pet-Burial Society).

There are some unfortunate aspects about this film. One scene – ironic in a film overtly sympathetic towards these birds – depicts a snake swallowing a young turkey (it is unlikely that CGI was used in a nature film). Additionally, in an interview with the public, Hotto comments on the making of this PBS film:

the State of Florida trapped wild turkey hens, installed radio collars in Spring, robbed nests when they started laying, and the backwoods savvy actor, Jeff Palmer incubated and began “imprinting” the eggs. (Hens, by the way, will nest a second time or even a third if they are unsuccessful on the first try.) … The guy you see with the birds is always Jeff. They did in fact film for over a year in order to record all the development and life cycle.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/my-life-as-a-turkey/qa-with-naturalist-joe-hutto/7389.

Share this posting with others.
Sign-up for email and Facebook notices.
Support our important work with a gift, today!

Buster, Maudann and Doyle Shugart

A dear friend of our Green Pet-Burial Society, Doyle L. Shugart, passed on July 8, 2012. He is widely known and respected for establishing Deceased Pet Care, Georgia’s first and only full service pet funeral home and the largest pet funeral home in the nation.

Doyle founded Deceased Pet Care in 1972 at a time when (many if not most) regarded pet cemeteries as curiosities. Along with his wife, Maudann, and their three children, Keith, Kyle, and Donna, the Shugarts grew Deceased Pet Care to three locations, which include two pet cemeteries. Under his compassionate guidance, they have supported and comforted numerous bereaved families.

Doyle also served as president of the International Association of Pet Cemeteries & Crematories (IAOPCC) and chaired their ethics committee, which is dedicated to improving the operation standards of all pet cemeteries & crematories across the US and worldwide. He is credited with developing and implementing the first certified Pet Crematory Operator Training Program for the IAOPCC.

We join with all those who were touched by Doyle’s vision of kindness in extending our deepest sympathies to the Shugart Family and their close friends.

Thinking Green

Doyle was among the very first cemeterians I spoke with while developing the Green Pet-Burial Society. I wasn’t sure how he’d respond to the notion of green pet-burials; after all, as a “full service pet funeral home” modeled on conventional human cemeteries, Deceased Pet Care was not founded on the principals of green burials. Yet from the first moments of our first conversation, he was both fascinated and encouraged by the programs of our Society, offering moral support as well as a personal commitment to advance our mission. He also began consdering where Deceased Pet Care might establish a green burial section.

A couple of talks later, and responding to my hopes for this new venture, he reassured me by stating, “we’ll do this – together.”

Stirred by the idea of a natural burial ground, Doyle spoke enthusiastically about a recent visit to the Presidio of San Francisco Pet Cemetery, a special parcel of land that is the final resting place of hundreds of “military pets” (take the tour). Now closed to new interments, the cemetery has an arts and crafts feeling which he found to be quite charming.

Although it contrasts with the manicured garden cemeteries he founded in Georgia, Doyle appreciated the tender manifestation of love and dedication of those families comforted by this half-acre cemetery. Its beauty isn’t in any unseen casket, but in the involvement of families and children in creating a community that honored their relationships with their animal companions. Doyle liked the idea of families being involved in their pets’ funerals – a hallmark of the green burial movement and traditional home burials.

Doyle and I also agreed that there is a real need for pet cemeteries to have their land deeded in perpetuity in order to reassure families that their pets’ remains will rest undisturbed. Deceased Pet Care is among the few pet cemeteries in the nation to have acquired this legal designation; as such, they also allow one’s human cremains to be buried alongside one’s pet’s grave.

Our conversations of how to best support bereaved families extended to the difficulties some face when wanting to transport their pet’s remains within the US for a burial back home. I believe he would have appreciated our recent efforts to find viable options for these families, as described in our post, Flying Home.

Most recently, Doyle introduced me to his son, Keith, who oversaw last year’s opening of the beautiful new green burial section within their cemetery, Oak Rest Pet Gardens. Since then I have also corresponded with his daughter, Donna Bethune, who is likewise committed to expanding awareness about the possibilities of green burials in established cemeteries.

Donna, who also serves as IAOPCC Executive Secretary for the home office, shares a daughter’s thoughts:

Dad was the most selfless man I have ever known and truly had a servant’s heart. His love for God, his family, friends, and his life’s work of taking care of pets and their families was recognized by everyone who knew him. He dedicated himself for 40 years to his calling and truly was a pioneer in the pet aftercare profession.  As his family we were so thankful for his time here and are so proud of his many accomplishments, but most of all we were so blessed to call him Dad. He left us a wonderful legacy to continue.

Doyle and Maudann’s children are testament to how new – and ancient – ideas can be embraced in the service of a changing society. May his memory be an inspiration to us all.

Families can now arrange to have their pet’s body flown back home for burial.

Every year, hundreds if not thousands of families arrange for the body of a loved one to be flown home for burial; most notably recovered military personnel who died overseas. Their military comrades are often seen flying on commercial airlines as they accompany the remains of fallen women and men on the solemn journey home (read an online discussion by airline personnel and others).

The air transport of bodies has long been regarded as an acceptable and allaying practice – we collectively respect (if not always understand) a bereaved family’s need for such solace. These journeys have inspired several poignant scenes in cinema, particularly regarding military casualties.

At least one film, Taking Chance (2009), was entirely dedicated to the story of a marine escorting the body of a fellow marine back home. Another film, The Lost Valentine (2011), is a love story (spoiler alert!) that leads the viewer to the exhumation of a navy pilot’s remains – buried in the Philippine earth decades earlier – which are then transported back to the U.S. for interment. It is as if the body – for a moment – transforms into spirit, gently caressing the heavens.

Airline Regulations

As you might expect, the transport of human remains is highly regulated. Upon speaking with a few airlines in the U.S.A. about the domestic transport of bodies, we learned that they generally require bodies to be embalmed. Yet since embalming is prohibited by Jewish custom, airlines have established alternate requirements to accommodate different faith traditions: bodies may still be transported by air if they have been appropriately refrigerated and packed in a ziegler or other approved container, sometimes with dry ice (i.e., solid CO₂ – the amount of which is dependent on the body’s weight and regulated limits). As dry ice sublimates to gas, it displaces the oxygen within the carrying compartment – a potentially dangerous situation for any live animals also being flown in cargo.

Considering the numerous ways in which humans interact with other animals, there tends to be far fewer regulations regarding the treatment of animals than other humans (e.g., veterinary care vs. medical care, animal shelters vs. human shelters, pet cemeteries vs. human cemeteries). Subsequently, we might assume that it would be relatively easy to transport the body of a companion animal as checked baggage on a commercial flight. Not quite.

This may be the rare case when regulations have made it nearly impossible for families to transport the remains of their animal companions from overseas or between states. It has nothing to do with the animal per se, and everything to do with shipping. Since the horrors of 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security has imposed strict regulations on all shipping, and pets’ remains are not designated as a standardized category for transportation.

One can ship dead animals by air as ‘meat,’ but only through a licensed shipper of meat. One can ship animal remains for scientific study, but again, from a licensed laboratory/shipper. Upon speaking with several pet cemeteries, we’ve learned that some have occasionally received a pet’s body that was shipped via FedEx, UPS or United States Postal Service (most likely in a clandestine manner, since the package may not have otherwise been accepted). I haven’t heard of a case where the parcel had ever been lost, but the risk exists. I can only imagine the private desperation experienced by those who feel they must take such risks in order to get their pet’s body back home for burial.

Helping the Bereaved

When the Green Pet-Burial Society was founded, we included the objective of identifying and encouraging a national network of licensed shippers willing to ship a pet’s remains in order to accommodate families who desire a full-body burial at home or in a green cemetery/wildlife preserve. Initially, only one pet cemetery, Miami’s Pet Heaven Memorial Park, provided this service.

I am relieved to announce that in the Los Angeles area, Pet Taxi LA is also willing to ship a companion animal’s body, as long as it is appropriately packed by a veterinarian’s office, pet cemetery/crematory, or a funeral director (if state law allows). Furthermore Susan George of Animal Transporters assured that – through their nationwide animal transport network – they will confidentially arrange for a beloved pet’s remains to be shipped between most cities in the continental U.S.

We asked Pet Heaven Memorial Park how they prepare the body for transport. They replied: “since we do not embalm any pets['s remains], we are required to keep the [remains] in a freezer for 48 hours before the time of shipping. To ship the [remains] we are required to use a sealed container … we use our polystyrene shell caskets packaged in a standard cardboard box.” Others use a sealed marine cooler packed in a cardboard box.

This service will be of enormous benefit to those families who prefer not to cremate. While airflight is not ‘green,’ we’ve addressed the balance between environmental costs and support for the bereaved on our Transportation webpage. As small dogs continue to be in fashion – easily and routinely accompanying their human companions in an aircraft’s passenger section – we expect that there will likely be an increased demand for this service. While our objective has been satisfied, we will continue to encourage other pet cemeteries, crematoria, funeral homes and veterinarians to become licensed to pack and ship a pet’s body as a service for the bereaved.

Share this posting with others who may also be interested.
Sign-up for email and Facebook notices of new developments.
Support our efforts with a gift today.

updated December 18, 2012

Marketing bacon and hot dogs with coffins? Sometimes we’re tempted to say that certain things just don’t warrant comment.  However, students of popular culture, animal studies and/or death studies may find this post particularly useful when illustrating cultural values and ideas about animals, food, death and humor.

Below are two examples of businesses mixing the accoutrements of human funerals with meat; by so doing, they focus our attention on the particular products they sell – bacon and hot dogs – and the bodies they come from. The unexamined words, images and materials that we use and encounter shape our cultural values, experiences and understanding of the world, and can sometimes create great distance among people, as well as between humans and other species.

“Bacon Coffin”

Just before April 1 (a.k.a., April Fool’s Day), a news item about a new bacon-themed coffin received a fair amount of media attention with many respondents inquiring if it was “real” or a hoax.  It was created and marketed by Seattle-based J&D Foods (although more accurately, the coffin markets them). They explain that it was created for “the bacon fan who loves bacon to death.” (see video below)

The “coffin” is made of 18-gauge steel and is described by its makers as “a high-end coffin.” It’s painted with a bacon motif and comes with a bacon-scented air freshener inside. The irony which most can immediately recognize is that, for the “bacon fan,” the overconsumption of bacon will likely expedite one’s passage into their coffin. What many may not recognize, however, are the lives and deaths of all those pigs whose bellies were cut into strips of bacon (unless they’ve adopted a pot-bellied pig or are vegetarian).

This juxtaposition is relevant to how we think about other animals, especially those we embrace as family. Regarding the “bacon coffin” – the grave of the consumed pig is within the remains of the deceased person, entombed in a metal coffin with a design that refers back to the pig’s remains, and severs both from the natural world.

“Dead Dogs”

A second business mixing funeral with meat deals with animal death more directly. Dead Dogs Ltd. sells hot dogs from a metal coffin shuttled about in a hearse. Unlike the “bacon coffin,” this coffin is not intended for human bodies, but for the bodies of animals: it was repurposed to cook hot dogs (which commonly include pork). Some onlookers were initially confused when they saw the company name on the hearse, assuming that it was a dog cremation company.

This confusion begs the question: how did ‘hot dogs’ get this name? These sausages likely originated in Germany or Austria, and there is some evidence that points to a rise in eating actual dogs in Germany in the early 20^th century,[i] as well as in the U.S. in the mid to late 19^th century (when hot dogs in a bun were introduced in the U.S.).[ii] The possibility of eating dog meat has long been a source of personal and social anxiety, and sausages, often an economical mix of cheaper meats, have long been subject to such speculation. While there is also anxiety about eating pork among those whose dietary laws prohibit the eating of pigs, such anxiety is likely to be about moral contamination whereas eating dog meat may be more closely akin to eating those who could have been family or friend. What fascinates me is the fact that, despite the cultural taboo of eating dogs, the name ‘hot dog’ has stuck!

Another question arises: while we can readily speak of funerals and bereavement for animals regarded as ‘pets,’ is it possible to do the same for those regularly killed for human consumption? The distinctions begin to become blurred when considering individual animals, especially among those with pet pigs, goats, lambs, chickens, horses, rabbits, turkeys, etc. Since the launch of the Green Pet-Burial Society, these folk have reached out to us to describe their wonderful relationships with their companion animals, and to support the goals of the Society.

Living with Pigs

Last year I had the good fortune of meeting my friends’ black pot-bellied pig – the first time I ever met a pig!  Adopted several years ago, she quickly became a cherished member of the family, and I was likewise charmed by her. Extremely independent, she heartily ate the carrots and apples I offered, and let me brush her coarse hair. I’m not sure which one of us was the more grateful.

Pot-bellied pigs were especially popular as pets in the U.S. during the 1980s and ‘90s. From a 1997 study, at the height of this phenomenon, varying estimates of the number of pot-bellied pigs kept as ‘pets’ in the U.S. ranged from 250,000 to 1 million (although 485 slaughterhouses were contacted with 4,047 requests to slaughter their ‘pets’ within the 18-month period examined).[iii]

Among those of us who haven’t lived with companion pigs, there may be a curiosity about the animals who are culturally significant yet unknown. Three years ago, British actor and corporate communications consultant, Richard da Costa, set out to have a deeper understanding of pigs.  For four days he lived with 10 pigs in their concrete pen; all were being raised for slaughter.  In the process, he discovered how intelligent, social, and individualistic each pig was – something scientists and those who have adopted pot-bellied pigs have long known.

Dietary Taboos

Coincidentally, while gathering this information this past week, I learned that it was when Jews traditionally study the 11^th chapter of Leviticus, which introduces criteria and lists of animals prohibited to be eaten (such as pigs) and those which were accommodated (it also gives codes of contamination when coming into contact with dead bodies). These are part of the Jewish dietary laws (i.e., Kashruth or “keeping Kosher”), which are also observed by some Seventh Day Adventists (when foregoing their traditionally proscribed vegetarian diet), and some Eastern Christian denominations such as the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Similarly, pigs are also forbidden (haram) for Muslims. Yet globally, people eat more pork than any other meat.[iv] Why some animals are allowed to be eaten while others are forbidden is fodder for another discussion. Food or family – our lives with pigs, as with many other animals, are riddled with complexity and contradictions.

[A day after adding this post, I learned that this is the 60th anniversary of E.B. White's Charlotte's Web. "Terrific"!]

For more information:

Pig by Brett Mizelle. 2011. Reaktion Books. “This book explores human kinship with pigs in the worlds of art, literature and entertainment, but also the history of the development of modern industrial pork production. Pig shows how humans have shaped the pig; and how the pig has shaped us in its turn.” www.reaktionbooks.co.uk/book.html?id=459

Dr. Francoise Wemelsfelder, Scottish Agricultural College, Animal & Veterinary Sicence Research Group. Much of the scientific information we have about pigs and other farmed animals comes from the scientists linked to agricultural schools. Such is the case of Dr. Francoise Wemelsfelder, whose research interest is in “the development of scientific approaches for the study of animals as whole sentient beings (i.e. as subjects rather than objects), bringing insights from philosophy of mind into the study of animal emotion.” www.sac.ac.uk/research/groups/animalhealth/teams/behaviourwelfare/francoisewemelsfelder/

Pigs as pets

• Best Friends Animal Society (www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/petcare/pigs.cfm)
• Pigs 4 Ever (www.pigs4ever.com)

• Share this posting with others who may also be interested.
• Sign-up for email and Facebook notices of new developments.
• Support our efforts with your donation.

I just viewed The Mantis Parable (2006), the first animated short by filmmaker Josh Staub.

It is a perfect short film for the Passover and Easter holidays (which also coincided with Buddha’s birthday this year). It’s a story of life in the face of death; control over our own bodies and stories; dyspathy, compassion and redemption; liberation from captivity; and accepting the risks of sacrifice to help another. Since its release, this film has gained international acclaim at film festivals worldwide.

If you know of other works of art we should consider including on our Art webpage, please let us know. Enjoy!

In thinking about how these standards might apply to pet cemeteries as well as human cemeteries, we carefully analyzed GBC’s standards and proposed some modifications, including reinstituting a four-standard system along with some additional recognitions. (Note: these two organizations are independent from one another.)

Certifying Pet Cemeteries

Our primary question is: What standards would be appropriate for pet cemeteries as well as human and ‘family cemeteries’? (We call cemeteries that allow full-body burial of the remains from all members of a family – humans and their companion animals – ‘family cemeteries.’)

While operating under the label ‘cemetery,’ pet cemeteries are generally unregulated or barely regulated by state cemetery laws. This can be misleading as we learn anecdotally that many consumers believe and expect that cemetery regulations fully apply to both kinds of cemeteries (i.e., human and pet).

While there is a need for more state regulation – which the Green Pet-Burial Society supports – we recognize that this will likely happen only when consumers and their representatives become proactive. Therefore, a GBC certification affords a level of assessment and accountability that will be attractive to both, consumers and pet cemeteries.

Proposal Summary

One major proposed change regards the designation of ‘hybrid’ burial grounds. GBC uses the term ‘hybrid’ to refer to cemeteries which would allow biodegradable shrouds or containers among their mix of graves holding non-biodegradable caskets. Rather, we call such cemeteries ‘mixed-media cemeteries.’ While such options might be recognized as a step in the right direction and may be a satisfying option for some consumers – we wouldn’t consider such cemeteries as ‘green.’ We propose that the term ‘hybrid’ be reserved for cemeteries with a separate section devoted exclusively to green burials.

Here is a brief summary of our proposals’ key points:

1. Require that all cemeteries be deeded in perpetuity in order to be certified as ‘green.’

2. Differentiate ‘mixed-media’ cemeteries from ‘hybrid’ cemeteries.

3. Have ‘Hybrid’ cemeteries only include those with a designated green burial section.

4. Reintroduce ‘Low Impact Burial Ground,’ to be characterized by the criteria for the proposed green burial sections extended to the entire cemetery.

5. Allow ‘Conservation Burial Ground’ certification for cemeteries that meet current standards, but which contract with a conservation organization/agency rather than be co-“owned by or operated in conjunction with” a conservation organization/agency (or to have “operated in conjunction with” to include contracted consultant arrangements). This may potentially enable more cemeteries to achieve ‘conservation’ status without compromising standards.

6. Establish a special recognition for those conservation burial grounds that are “owned by or operated in conjunction with” a conservation organization/agency, beyond a consultant arrangement.

7. Allow conservation burial grounds (and other levels) to permit ‘non-biodegradable’ tools/materials/practices that are designed to reestablish or maintain wildlife populations (with a statement that GBC encourages wildlife protection practices as determined by a wildlife organization/agency).

8. Possibly change the title, or create special designation, for these wildlife preservation cemeteries, e.g., ‘Conservation Burial Ground/Wildlife Preserve.’

For pet cemetery managers thinking of going green – see our four-page pamphlet, The Greening of Pet Cemeteries, initially prepared for a presentation at the 2011 annual convention of the International Association of Pet Cemeteries & Crematories (IAOPCC).

In the News

On April 1, 2012,CNN Online mentioned the Green Pet-Burial Society in an article on green burials for companion animals.

Popular Post

Our last post which linked to Matisyahu’s song, One Day, on YouTube proved to be our most popular posting yet.

• Share this posting with those who may also be interested in these efforts.
• Sign-up for email and Facebook notices to learn of new developments.
• Support our efforts with a donation – credit cards are accepted.

image: jjjj56cp on flickr.com ”147e just a peek…”  

For all who struggle with grief, here is a song my friends sing. Written and sung by Matisyahu, it’s a blessing with wide meaning, an anthem for peace, and yearning for peace in our personal lives when people’s hostilities towards us may be turned into invited play. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl9voSKJmEU

One Day

Sometimes I lay under the moon
and thank God I’m breathing
Then I pray
don’t take me soon
‘cause I am here for a reason

Sometimes in my tears I drown
but I never let it get me down
so when negativity surrounds
I know some day it’ll all turn around
because

All my life I’ve been waiting for
I’ve been praying for
for the people to say
that we don’t wanna fight no more
they’ll be no more wars
and our children will play
One day [x6]

It’s not about
win or lose
we all lose
when they feed on the
souls of the innocent
blood drenched pavement
keep on moving though the
waters stay raging

In this maze you can lose
your way (your way)
it might drive you crazy but
don’t let it faze you no way (no way)

Sometimes in my tears I drown
but I never let it get me down
so when negativity surrounds
I know some day it’ll all turn around
because

All my life I’ve been waiting for
I’ve been praying for
for the people to say
that we don’t wanna fight no more
they’ll be no more wars
and our children will play
One day [x6]

One day this all will change
treat people the same
stop with the violence
down with the hate

One day we’ll all be free
and proud to be
under the same sun
singing songs of freedom like
One day [x4]

All my life I’ve been waiting for
I’ve been praying for
for the people to say
that we don’t wanna fight no more
they’ll be no more wars
and our children will play

One day [x6]

image: Untitled by Grafik Mekanik

Brits love their pets! We just learned of Respect GB (Respect Great Britain – Respect Green Burials) and their two green burial grounds. According to their website:

We now operate two private Natural Woodland Green Burial Parks, predominantly for burying people, however we have a separate area that uniquely offers the burial of animals and pet lovers side by side in our togetherness section. This rather exclusive opportunity for you to be buried alongside your pets can only take place in a special fully licensed cemetery of which we own two of the four burial grounds in the UK.

• Laughton near the North Linc’s / Lincolnshire border serving both counties DN21 3AF
• Scrooby / Bawtry Great North Rd J A638/A614 North Nottinghamshire / South Yorkshire DN10 6AB

Because of today’s modern lifestyle we cannot always choose to live a green life, but green burial is our opportunity to have a respectful green end to our cycle of life and put something good back into mother earth.

To see our growing list of international Green Family Cemeteries and Green Pet Cemeteries, visit our International Providers page.