What is a Green Funeral?
People are surprised when we talk about providing environmentally sustainable green funerals. This is quickly followed by curiosity, and questions about sustainable coffins – however sustainable and green funerals extend far beyond a coffin.
In practice, sustainable funerals include how we care for the deceased and choices made for the funeral service and cremation or burial.
In principle, being environmentally and socially sustainable is a core value of Natural Grace and provides the foundation for everything we do. Read More
In principle, being environmentally and socially sustainable is our core value of Natural Grace and provides the foundation for everything we do.
How we care for the deceased
Every person deserves to be cherished in both life and in death. We express this by only using natural products when caring for the deceased, which includes warm water, essential oils, goats milk soap and organic skin and hair care products.
* There are rare cases when the law requires a body to be embalmed – we encourage families to embalm only when necessary.
Sustainable and green funeral services
At Natural Grace, we specialise in arranging funeral ceremonies in spaces that are meaningful to the family and utilising your existing community resources. Through this practice, we are able to genuinely honour the deceased and their many relationships.
We encourage families to choose locally sourced and made organic food and flowers, only print what is necessary, print on recycled paper sourced from local suppliers, minimise packaging and be as efficient as possible with fuel use.
Natural burial and shrouded cremation
This is where we talk about coffin choices. We are proud to have an environmentally sustainable range of coffins, shrouds and urns. These are provided by certified suppliers and made from sustainably sourced wool, wicker, timbers and fabrics.
There is increasing interest in natural burial grounds, which are natural environments where the deceased may be buried in sustainable coffins or shrouds and with a marker such as a native tree or simply a location identified on a map. We support the use and development of natural burial grounds and will readily explore these green options with you and your family.
Giving back to the environment
To continue giving back to the environment, we offset the carbon emissions from our vehicles through ‘Green Fleet’ and our operations by supporting our local Landcare group. We also encourage families to offset the funeral service of their loved one through 15 Trees.
Sustainability Policy
We have designed and created a Sustainability Policy so we can articulate exactly what we believe in, and hold ourselves accountable to those beliefs.
Talk to us
As well as describing the main characteristics of eco-friendly green funerals on this page, we also incorporate environmental and social sustainability in our day-to-day operations.
If you would like to know more about eco-friendly and green funerals or what we do here at Natural Grace, we would love to hear from you. Call or visit us at either our Melbourne care centre located in Fairfield or our Woodend Sanctuary in the Macedon Ranges.
Natural body care
Every person deserves to be cherished in both life and in death. We express this by only using natural products when caring for the deceased, which includes warm water, essential oils, goats milk soap and organic skin and hair care products.
- Further reading: Vigils
There are rare cases when the law requires a body to be embalmed – we encourage families to embalm only when necessary.
Burial or Cremation
Burial
We support your choice of burial whether it’s a traditional or natural burial.
There is increasing interest in natural burial grounds, which are environments where the deceased may be buried in sustainable coffins or shrouds and with a marker such as a native tree or simply a location identified on a map.
We support the use and development of natural burial grounds and will readily explore these green options with you and your family.
Image courtesy of https://smct.org.au/murrun-naroon-natural-burials
- Further reading: Natural cemeteries
- Further reading: Caskets, Coffins & Shrouds
Cremation
We support your choice of cremation whether in a traditional coffin, a ‘natural’ coffin, or in a shroud.
Natural Grace proudly pioneered the practice of shrouded cremation within Australia, with many Victorian crematoriums supporting this low-impact practice.
- Further reading: Caskets, Coffins & Shrouds
Coffins, Caskets and Shrouds
We are proud to have an environmentally sustainable range of coffins, shrouds and urns. These are provided by certified suppliers and made from sustainably sourced timber, wicker or wool.
To view your options for a beautiful burial or cremation option, please visit our gallery pages here: Coffins, Caskets and Shrouds.
Sustainable funeral services and practices
At Natural Grace, we specialise in arranging funeral ceremonies in spaces that are meaningful to the family and utilising your existing community resources. Through this practice, we are able to genuinely honour the deceased and their many relationships.
We encourage families to choose locally sourced and made organic food and flowers, only print what is necessary, print on recycled paper sourced from local suppliers, minimise packaging and be as efficient as possible with fuel use.
Environmental Offsets
Sustainability Policy
We have designed and created a Sustainability Policy so we can articulate exactly what we believe in, and hold ourselves accountable to those beliefs.
Memorialisation
There are many ways to memorialise a sacred place from creating a plaque, having a simple head stone or an ornate one, planting a tree – there are endless possibilities.
Ashes may be interred at a cemetery, but also scattered, buried, kept in a bespoke timber urn or crafted into jewellery or comfort stones.
- Further reading: Gallery – Urns
More Information
The idea of a sustainable, green burial in Australia might seem like a departure from the traditional funeral services that you might be more familiar with.
Natural Grace was founded around the premise that there are different ways to honour the dead – and we are here to help you discover the perfect way to celebrate the life of your loved one. Whether it is travelling to their homeland for burial or honouring cultural traditions, having a dedicated Funeral Director available to help you every step of the way will ensure that they have the send-off they deserve. At Natural Grace, we focus on kindness, compassion, and genuine interest to ensure that your loved one, and your family, are cherished and treated in the way they deserve.
As part of this service, a green burial in Australia is not only legal but also achievable with our trustworthy care.
Here at Natural Grace, we are sustainable in all our practices, using environmentally and socially sustainable products throughout our service. An environmentally friendly burial is an option that we can help you with if that is something you want.
As part of the green burial Victoria options, you can choose a coffin, shroud or urn made from environmentally sustainable materials like wool, wicker, and fabric, as well as different biodegradable timber options.
Embalming is a requirement in very rare cases, and we would encourage it only when legally necessary, such as for interstate or overseas repatriation, or interment within a mausoleum or vault.
As part of the natural burial options, every stage of the preparation can take place naturally. Whether you want this to take place in our carefully designed Sanctuaries – in the Macedon Ranges or Fairfield, Melbourne or your own home, we can help you prepare your loved one in the way that suits you best. From carefully washing them with warm water, essential oils, goats milk soap and other organic skin and hair care products to helping you and your family arrange a sustainable funeral service with locally sourced food and flowers.
We know that there is an increasing interest in green funerals in Melbourne and throughout Australia using natural burial grounds. This means that within a natural environment, the deceased can be buried in sustainable coffins or shrouds, and at a few cemeteries, with a native shrub or tree planted as a marker.
We can help you and your family honour your loved one with an environmentally-friendly funeral.
Our families choose us because we really care. Through listening to your needs, and the ideas that you might have for a meaningful funeral experience, we will support you to make the best decisions that suit your family – whether that is for a natural burial in Australia or another type of environmentally friendly funeral choice.
Here at Natural Grace Victoria funerals, we do not believe in ‘cookie-cutter’ funerals. Every deceased person is individual so, no matter what you want, our Funeral Directors in Melbourne, the Macedon Ranges and Geelong can help you navigate through this difficult time. Rest assured, we will never push you into unnecessary extra purchases or packages that don’t suit your needs. In fact, we don’t offer packages – all your choices are individual and tailored to your needs. We always focus on low or no-cost options because we know that the perfect green funeral in Victoria shouldn’t cost the earth.