Dying is possibly the most natural occurrence in the world. But modern death rituals—embalming with toxic chemicals and traditional burial in concrete vaults—are not nature-friendly.

Environmentally harmful dispositions and other ecologically unfriendly practices have caused a new generation of death care professionals to green up the funeral industry with burials that tread lightly on the terrain.

Natural burial means no embalming, no elaborate casket, no burial vault— just a body returning to the earth. The concept is quite biblical if you consider the beautiful simplicity of ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

A recent AARP poll asked: "Which type of burial is most appealing?" Only 8% wanted a traditional cemetery burial, and only 18% chose cremation. Over 70% of those polled through the AARP website chose Green Burial.

There are a variety of greener options that people are choosing for more of a natural send-off. For example, rather than turning their loved one over to a funeral home, some families are taking care of their loved one’s final needs at home.

Before the Civil War, families washed, dressed and laid their loved one out in the parlor where friends and family gathered for a viewing. Embalming became the cornerstone of death care when the Union Army needed to send slain solders back home.

Americans eventually became removed from death. Now when someone dies, we usually call the undertaker to "under take" all the planning and preparation of the body. But some families are now moving away from merely passing their loved one on to a professional and are seeing the value in lovingly carrying out the preparations themselves. It is their final gift to their loved one.

A home funeral can encompass a memorial service, wake, viewing or a combination of the three. It's also an intimate experience: friends or family members might help wash and dress the body, build or decorate a casket, plan a memorial service or accompany the deceased to the burial site or crematory.

Most states legally require only a certified death certificate, a permit giving permission to transport the body for disposition, and that the body be buried, cremated or donated to medical science.

How green is cremation? Cremation was long considered more environmentally friendly than burial, but its use of fossil fuels is problematic. It has been noted that the amount of non-renewable fossil fuel needed to cremate bodies in North America each year is equivalent to a car making 84 trips to the Moon and back.

If the body will be buried, green cemeteries offer low impact burials; some also conserve and restore land. Fresh graves appear mounded but flatten with time. Flat stones or native trees are often used as grave markers, and some natural cemeteries even offer plots marked with GPS.

A casket is required for burial. Some enviro-casket companies include:

Ark Wood Caskets (www.arkwoodcaskets.com ,

Natural Burial Company (www.gravegoodsgallery.com)

and No Name Lumber (www.nonamelumber.com/html/products.html).

As the baby boomer generation "slouches into retirement," they are bringing environmental consciousness and a do-it-yourself mentality to bear on end-of-life issues, according to Mark Harris, author of Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial

"On some basic level, green burial acknowledges that the natural end of all life is decomposition and decay," Harris said. "Instead of fighting it at literally all costs with chemical embalming, concrete vaults and bulletproof metal caskets, green burial says, 'Let's just let the natural process play itself out.'"

Keep in mind that there are many shades of green. Green burial options come in many hues and are not just about saving the earth. Green burials can also help save a different kind of green—the kind found in people's wallets.

Elizabeth Fournier owns and operates Cornerstone Funeral Services in Boring, Oregon and is known as a Green Burial Expert in Oregon, affectionately called The Green Reaper. She is the voice of the autopsy exhibit in the forensic wing at the United States National Museum of Medicine, and recently published her memoir, All Men Are Cremated Equal.

For more information on green burial, including resources and an FAQ section, check out Elizabeth’s website at www.cornerstonefuneral.com/green-burial.htm