Podcasts about green burial council

From his humble days as a “lawn guy” at a local funeral home, to his current role as a funeral director and leader on the board of the Green Burial Council, Samuel Perry stands out! I am excited to bring you this conversation about green burial, because it includes not just the facts, but also a thoughtful discussion of what green burial represents and could mean to any one of us. When we say “traditional burial,” maybe green burial is the real deal?@greenburialcouncil

Notes from this week's show.  New legislation making it easier for funeral directors to serve trans families regarding death certificates. Discussion of various awards relevant to the funeral service industry, including "Ones to Watch," Green Burial Council awards, and Funeral Service Foundation scholarships. Commentary on a funeral director's appearance on John Mulaney's talk show. Todd Bozell's appointment to the Selected Board and our 2024 feature on him.  NFDA Consumer Preference Study Wake Forest Law Podcast

How should we decide what happens to our bodies when we die? And what implications does that decision have for the living? It's common to think a burial at a cemetery is the final resting place for a loved one. But as we heard in our last episode, sometimes the need to progress as a society is in direct conflict with the desire to honor the dead. Today, we talk to one of the leaders of the Green Burial Council, funeral director Samuel Perry. His organization advocates and sets standards for “natural” burials, which he calls “the full body burial of the person directly in the ground with only biodegradable materials.” We talk about the practicality of natural burial in Chicago and the very personal and spiritual decisions that add complexity to this corner of the death care industry.

On this episode we talk to Max Justice from Setas Mushrooms — the innovator behind MyCoffin, biodegradable coffins made of mycelium and industrial hemp. Justice is the co-founder and CEO of Setas Eternal Living, a company that offers people a sustainable end-of life solution — with aspirations to disrupt the death industry with affordable and sustainable options. For Justice, Setas Eternal Living was logical next step in his fungus journey. He and his wife started Setas Mushrooms on their farm in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, after discovering the healing power of mushrooms during his wife's illness. Fungus changed their lives forever. In this episode we'll hear about the process of making coffins from mycelium and hemp and how this product compares to traditional burial vessels. Compared to traditional caskets that will take centuries to breakdown, Justice's coffin will biodegrade in just a few years, making it a good option for green burial.   Learn More: Setas Eternal Living https://www.setaseternalliving.com/ Setas Mushrooms https://setasmushrooms.com/ Green Burial Council https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/ Watch the WGAL News Video https://www.wgal.com/article/south-central-pennsylvania-farm-grows-mushroom-coffins/63364893 News Nuggets Shapiro Administration Announces Recipients of the Nation's First Agricultural Innovation Grant https://www.pa.gov/governor/newsroom/2025-press-releases/shapiro-administration-announces-recipients-of-the-nation-s-firs.html The public is encouraged to submit written comments to HHS and USDA related to the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee to inform the development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/public-comment-departments Unfazed and confused, Sutter County extends ban on industrial hemp despite grower push-back= https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article299400029.html Thanks to our sponsors: IND HEMP Americhanvre Kings Agriseeds Forever Green Music Courtesy of Tin Bird Shadow  

Death is often considered a morbid and taboo topic, socialised silence teaches us to avoid speaking about it, to cast it in the shadows, to hide it away until we're ultimately faced with it's inevitable presence. But if death is the culminating adventure of the adventure of life, how can we best approach that final instalment and how does the idea of death help us to live life more fully in the now.This episode features Death Doula and Buddhist Chaplain, Annie Whitlocke who has sat supportively and compassionately with those nearing death for 14 years, and the Executive Director of Social Health Australia and the founder of the Green Burial Council in the USA, Joe Sehee.In this episode we discuss:-The role of Social Health Australia is for the ill, dying and grieving,-What spiritual or community companioning is and what it looks like.-The fear of loneliness, the unknown and dying alone.-Why we need community in death and how we've lost that.-The role of a death doula, or elder.-Some of the more emotional experiences she has faced.-That death needs to be done slowly and sacredly.-Wisdom on grieving and how we can lean into grief.-The beauty, spirituality and importance of green burial sites.-Emotional boundaries and keeping the heart open.And…-Josh and Annie share the definitions of love and how death opens one up to love more.-Joe shares his near death experiences.-Annie discusses her successful suicide attempt.-Annie shares her experiences of miscarriage and how that has motivated her.-Non religious or non theistic work in death and dying.-Ram Dass' spiritual companioning work in the documentary Fierce Grace. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to WATCH the full episode @gobehindthemaskFollow us on Instagram and TikTok @gobehindthemaskVisit www.gobehindthemask.com.au for more information and sign up to our ‘Weekly Wisdoms' to begin YOUR journey behind the mask. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's start talking green burial. First off, you may want to find a cemetery that follows green practices. The best way to find that is to look at the Green Burial Council website. Their directory lists certified cemeteries by their criteria, by state. https://greenburialcouncil.org/cemeteries.htmlListen and read my blog: https://whilewerestillhere.com Reach me at kathy@whilewerestillhere.comStarting with Episode 56, the episode music was added. It was composed, produced and provided by Kyle Bray specifically for this show. Reach out to me if you want the score. The logo artwork was provided by Maddie's Plush Pouch - maddelinesplushpouch@gmail.com

Angela Woosley M.A. (she/they), owner of Inspired Journeys, joins host Ken Haglind on “Living Healthy and Aging Well” radio show to discuss options at the end of life that reduce our final carbon footprint on the Earth. Certified by the Green Burial Council, Inspired Journeys is the Midwest's first woman-owned and client-centered deathcare provider, offering…

We are excited to have Kyle Tevlin, the founder, and creator of I Want a Fun Funeral, join us today. Kyle was inspired to create this unique funeral planning service after attending several funerals that left her feeling underwhelmed and disheartened. She noticed that many of these events felt somber and lacked the personal touch that she believed would better honor the lives of those being remembered. This inspired her to launch her business, a service that helps people plan personalized and creative funerals for themselves. In this episode, Kyle shares her insights on new funeral trends, effective strategies for communicating your final wishes to your family, and the advantages of planning a funeral that is meaningful to who you are. Join us as we explore new ways to think about end-of-life planning.   Here's some of what we'll discuss in this episode: Kyle shares her journey to creating fun funerals. (1:13) Funerals can look any way you want. (5:48) The biggest advantages to planning a fun funeral. (14:49) What financial success means to Kyle. (25:38)   Episode Resources: I Want a Fun Funeral: https://www.iwantafunfuneral.com/ Green Burial Council: https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/ Get additional financial information: https://sephtonfinancial.com/podcasts/    

Saturday is Earth Day, a day that's been observed annually since 1970 to draw attention to the problems facing the global environment. Today on Midday, two environmental movements that are rapidly gaining interest and adherents: the green burial movement and sustainable fashion. A little later we'll talk about how the Johns Hopkins Women's Board is giving new life to old clothes, and cutting down on the environmental impact of discarding textiles. But we begin today with a conversation about green burials, which perhaps can be best described by listing what's not involved rather than what is. No embalming, no concrete grave liners, no non-biodegradable caskets. Instead, bodies are returned to the earth naturally, with no deleterious effect on the environment. Jennifer Downs is the founder and chair of the Green Burial Association of Maryland, or GBAM. She joins Tom in Studio A… Lee Webster joins us as well. She's a past president of the Green Burial Council. She's served in leadership of the National Home Funeral Alliance, and she helped found the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance and Conservation Burial Alliance. She's also written several books about green burials. Lee Webster joins us on Zoom from Holderness, New Hampshire.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Green Burial: Elizabeth Fournier, The Green Reaper Elizabeth Fournier, owner and founder of Cornerstone Funeral Services in Boring, Oregon, and the author of The Green Burial Handbook, talks about what green burial is, what it isn’t, and how you can work with a funeral director to get the kind of burial you or your loved ones want. Learn about the surprisingly non-environmentally friendly footprint of traditional cremation and the new practices of aqua-cremation and organic reduction. To find out more about Green Burial Resources: https://www.cornerstonefuneral.com/green-burial-resources Elizabeth specifically mentioned the Funeral Consumers Alliance and the Green Burial Council during the show. To ask a question for the show, email me at AskLiza@lifedeathlaw.com To listen to more episodes of Life/Death/Law, go to www.lifedeathlaw.com And follow me: twitter-twitter.com/lifedeathlaw instagram-Instagram.com/lifedeathlaw facebookcom/LifeDeathLaw Linkedin.com/in/lizahanks

A discussion with Edward Bixby of the Green Burial Council on eco-friendly burial options – and the consumer's role in helping expand what's available.   Mentioned in this episode: https://www.dyingkindness.com/ https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/ GBC map of certified providers: https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/interactive-maps.html https://destinationdestinymemorials.com/ https://www.steelmantowncemetery.com/ "Climate Change: The massive CO2 emitter you may not know about" by Lucy Rodgers for BBC "Lawn Maintenance and Climate Change" paper by Princeton Student Climate Initiative "This heatwave is a reminder that grass lawns are terrible for the environment" article by Akin Olla for The Guardian  

John and Craig analyze what lessons writers can learn from acting techniques (such as staying present) and working with actors (like staying open). We also discuss writer retirement, how Craig's “central dramatic argument” applies to TV, and the skill of cutting a character to save a scene. In our bonus segment for premium members, we discuss The Future and what we owe it. Links: Writer Emergency Pack XL is funded! Support here on Kickstarter! Green Burial Council and Is California ready for ‘human composting' as an alternative to casket burial, cremation? by Anabel Sosa for the LA Times John's Blogpost on Fake Tears Scriptnotes Episode 76: How screenwriters find their voice Scriptnotes Episode 403: How to Write A Movie Patton Oswalt on King of Queens Cut A Character Save A Scene on John's Blog Ants Outnumber Everything by Dino Grandoni for the Washington Post Why Question Words Start with Wh on Reddit Bo Shim's LA Food Guide: Western Doma Noodles hole-in-the-wall treasure, MDK Noodles in K-town, Zzamong for Jjjangmyun, KyoChon for fried chicken–especially the honey wings, Aliya Lavaland for (lava) mooncakes, Mandarin Noodle House in Monterey Park What We Owe the Future by William Macaskill Candy Corn Infused Vodka Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Twitter John August on Twitter John on Instagram Outro by Nico Mansy (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

Elizabeth Fournier always wanted to work in funeral service. She was drawn to the service in this profession, and fascinated by its technical skills. Today she works "for a better living" - with Nature's tech - and she's proudly known far and wide as The Green Reaper.         Fournier is a national advocate for Green Burial, practices that are changing her profession's enviro impacts, and helping her fellow humans better connect Life to our Earthly nature, at Life's end. She compares the importance of ecological funerals to our society's everyday efforts to decrease human impacts - by supporting renewable energy, by driving hybrid or electric cars, by eating healthy foods, by promoting sustainable agriculture, by using their own cloth bags at the grocery store, and so on. Fournier celebrates how the ideas of a green lifestyle are carrying over to how we handle the dead. Fournier's Cornerstone Funeral Services, outside Portland OR, makes her the Undertaker of Boring (OR), her tiny rural town. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Green Burial Council, and lives on a farm with her husband, daughter, and many rescue goats. Her 2018 Green Burial Guidebook details the practical changes she champions.  THANKS to Andy Heaslet, Earthworms audio engineer, and to Jon Valley of KDHX Production. Related Earthworms Conversations: Greenwood Cemetery: History, Community, Profound Restoration (Jan 2018, - update April 2022) Walking Sacred Ground with Robert Fishbone, artist of Labyrinths (Sept 2019) In the Company of Trees with Forest Bathing advocate Andrea Sarubbi Fareshteh (Jan 2018) Earthworms Host Note: After years of learning and talking about these sustainable options, I attended a Green Burial this summer. Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum, a venerable St. Louis historic site, is a national leader in advancing Green Burial. Their service for a dear friend's sister, Mary Ann, was simple and moving. Her body was wrapped in a linen shroud, so her physical form was right there with us. She was a tall woman. Gracie, one of Bellefontaine's staff I know through Green work, led her crew in bringing Mary Ann's body to the grave site, drawn on a wooden cart with big metal wheels. A wreath of flowers lay over her heart. The open grave was shallow, maybe only three feet deep, lined with a profusion of plant matter! In the center of the mass of pine boughs, prairie grasses and all kinds of flowers was a circle of sunflower blooms.  After the simple service, Bellefontaine staff lowered Mary Ann's body into the grave with long fabric straps. No machinery, no concrete, no elaborate box. Simply a human body, laid gently into Earth. Three huge urns of flowers and leafy branches were waiting by the grave. Everyone joined in covering Mary Ann with these beautiful plants, and then we could take turns adding shovels from the pile of soil removed from the grave. The stuff of Earth will energize Earth's processes of decomposition, over time. No chemicals, nothing toxic. Everything formerly living, returning to Earth. I noted the trees around the gravesite Mary Ann had chosen. Oaks, the mightiest hosts of insect life, supporting and restoring bonds in the Web of Life our species works so hard to break. Elements of Body, Mind, Feeling and Spirit - all there, in a quiet and simple way. What a gift to be there on that summer day.   - Jean Ponzi   ​   Links: Greeenwood, Forest Bathing, previous Green Burial?

This week,Terry Moore speaks with Elizabeth Fournier author of f The Green Burial Guidebook: Everything You Need to Plan an Affordable, Environmentally Friendly Burial. In many respects the only real certainty in life is death. All living things die and human beings are not exceptional in that regard. That hasn't stopped many humans, however, from thinking and behaving as if we are somehow outside of the rules governing the larger “natural world” - in particular, that we're fully capable of indefinitely living beyond the biogeophysical limits all other species face. With the increased awareness of human-caused ecological crises since the 1960's and the parallel growth of environmental movements over the same period, the notion of human exceptionality has come under increasing pressure. A reassessment of our relationship to the larger natural world has in more recent times focused on not only the larger existential crises such as climate change but has also broadened into taking a critical look at conventional high impact, end-of-life practices such as conventional burial and fire cremation. To discuss the Ecological impacts of those conventional practices as well as the efforts being made to create more environmentally-friendly alternatives, I'm pleased to welcome Elizabeth Fournier to Planet Haliburton. Elizabeth is the owner/operator of the Cornerstone Funeral Service in Boring, Oregon, the author of “The Green Burial Guidebook” and an Advisory Committee member with the largely-US based, Green Burial Council. Link to resources for this program. https://canoefm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/PH-Resource-List-Why-Green-Burial-with-Elizabeth-Fournier-April-28-2022.pdf This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Today we're talking with Heidi Hannapel, cofounder of the Bluestem Conservation Cemetery, about options for green burial. We're also taking a look at our modern approach to death and the practices that surround it. Heidi and her business partner Jeff Masten are land conservationists and conservation burial specialists, concerned with the degradation of our planet through wasteful burial practices. They are committed to offering an alternative to conventional burial, working on green burial initiatives specifically tied to land conservation, encouraging a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impacts. Through the establishment of Bluestem, Heidi and Jeff's vision is to establish the concept of conservation burial as a tool for protecting natural lands, wildlife and plant species, creating healing green spaces and increasing community connections to nature, and creating opportunities for those seeking green burial options for themselves and their loved ones. In addition, we talk to Heidi about her personal journey with death practices and conventions, inspired by the time she spent being present to her own mother's illness and death in 2015. This experience left her with the realization that death and loss are shared human experiences worthy of active participation, both before the passing of the loved one and in the sacred space between death and burial. Our modern customs often separate us not only from the process of dying itself, but also from the opportunity to experience the the hours and days after the passing as an opportunity for powerful healing. Modern burial procedures also separate us from the processes of nature, in which remains of the deceased continue to be part of the natural life cycle of the planet. The idea behind rethinking our cultural death practices and considering green burial, and as in the case of Bluestem Conversation Cemetery conservation burial, is that human death be honored and embraced as a sacred passage, "where nature is enough." Join us on this week's episode as we learn more about green burials and how they can contribute to land conservation efforts and lessen our impact on the environment. Stay tuned to learn more! Listen to the episode on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-good-dirt/id1492217846 (Apple Podcasts), https://open.spotify.com/show/2lpelAmHPGbMVdOOpxhxTo (Spotify), https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-good-dirt-981565 (Podchaser), https://the-good-dirt.simplecast.com/ (Simplecast), https://podtail.com/en/podcast/the-good-dirt/ (Podtail), or on your favorite podcast platform. Topics Covered: Green burial options/reducing environmental impact Integration of life and death through conservation areas Death doulas Home funerals and home burials Hybrid cemeteries Resources https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=38028 (Learning from Trees) https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/ (Green Burial Council) https://www.conservationburialallianc (Conservation Burial Alliance) https://www.bluestemcemetery.org/ (Bluestem Cemetery) https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/26/well/family/rest-me-in-a-pine-box-and-let-the-fiddle-play.html (Green burial NYT article) Original theme music for https://lady-farmer.com/blogs/the-good-dirt-podcast (The Good Dirt) composed and performed by John Kingsley @jkingsley1026 Guest Info https://www.bluestemcemetery.org/ (Bluestem Conservation Cemetery Website) https://www.bluestemcemetery.org/resources.html (Bluestem Resources Page) https://www.thelandmatters.com/meet-heidi--jeff.html (LANDMATTERS Website) Connect with Heidi on Twitter https://twitter.com/hhannapel?lang=en (@hhannapel) Follow Us: https://lady-farmer.com/blogs/the-good-dirt-podcast (Our Website) https://www.instagram.com/thegooddirtph/ (Instagram)

This episode is the first interview by our new Death Dialogues Project co-host, Kate Burns. A hearty welcome goes out to her. Kate has served as an Equal Employment Opportunity and Title IX Investigator and a large Midwest university for the last four years. In this role, she investigates harassment, discrimination, and sexual violence. Kate has extensive training in trauma informed interviewing and takes much pride in connecting with people on a meaningful level. Kate has a masters degree in forensic science which has proven helpful during interviews and also aided in achieving some unexpected accomplishments. After suddenly losing her mom in 2019, Kate found deep purpose in helping others navigate the processes which are encountered with death. Kate began volunteering with the Green Burial Council in February 2021 before being elected to serve a three year term on the Board of Directors. Kate is also in the process of becoming a death doula through the Going with Grace End of Life Planning program. Becoming part of the Death Dialogues Project has given life to Kate's desire to connect with people who are experiencing/have experienced loss and has shined light on the need for more conversation around grief and loss. Here's what Kameron says about this conversation: I can't say that I remember a point in my life where I wasn't familiar with great loss. My parents met on the cruise ship where my father worked, and my mother managed to convince him to move to Nebraska (he's from Turkey and was living in Miami at the time, so the deal must have been pretty sweet). Working on a cruise ship meant he was gone for weeks at a time, which familiarized me with absence at an early age. By the time I was in grade school, my parents separated, and it wasn't too long after that my father wound up in prison (sentenced to life without parole). I was raised only by my mother through middle and high school, which wasn't an easy job. When I started undergrad at a local university, I decided to live at home despite my rocky relationship with my mother. One morning at the beginning of my second semester of freshmen year, I woke up to find my mother dead in her bedroom. Unexpectedly I found myself completely without parents, and with my entire adult life ahead of me. Please follow The Death Dialogues Project and learn more about this project at www.deathdialogues.net where you will find links to podcast platforms and our social media. Instagram is our fave social media home @deathdialoguesproject --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/deathdialogues/message

On this tiny spec we call home in the universe, matter is neither created nor destroyed. Every living thing is created from the Earth. Death and life are the two sides of the same coin. They are both constant and infinite, yet we experience them as finite.For the entirely of our species and those that we evolved from, our bodies have been nourished from the earth, and then returned to the earth. An eloquent quote from the Christian bible in the book of Genesis 3:19 sums this up with the passage, "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."Yet, by a cultural practice in the West, we are not returning to the earth any longer. We are pumped full of toxic preservatives, put into a resource-intensive casket made of wood, metal, plastic, and chemicals, lowered into a cement-lined grave, and then covered with soil in a field marked by tombstones for time-memorial. This practice is neither sustainable, nor natural.In this episode of The Regenerative Real Estate Podcast, Jodie Buller from The White Eagle Memorial Preserve at Ekone Ranch talks about natural burials and how it enables the stewardship of both land and souls. It is one of only a few wilderness cemeteries in the U.S. and is designated a conservation burial ground by the Green Burial Council.This is a moving and beautiful conversation that will help us all remember what is means to be alive; to be human; and how we can remember our role in the evolutionary process of Life even when we have passed on.

This week’s episode is a conversation I had about companionship with Joe Sehee. I very intentionally refer to ‘companionship’ here, as Joe approaches this work from a non-theistic, non-religious perspective. We discuss topics around finding meaning and universality in suffering, human connection, using silence to be in conversation, compassion fatigue, and remembering to have a sense of humor. Talking with Joe, I thought of the famous line from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. At SDI, we talk about the healing modality of spiritual companionship. You can call it companionship, or spiritual direction, guidance, friendship. Call it what you like – it’s about the relationship, the listening work, and the meaningful story of the others we companion. Joe Sehee is the Executive Officer of Social Health Australia based in Melbourne. Social Health Australia brings forward innovative approaches to companioning people in crisis and combating the growing problems of social isolation and loneliness. Their mission is to make times of transition, uncertainty and loss not only less debilitating, but also opportunities for building resilience and creating community.Joe has a wide range of experience as a non-theistic spiritual director and pastoral caregiver including serving four years as Associate Director of Campus Ministry at the Jesuit-run University of San Francisco. A Peabody Award-winning journalist, Joe is founder of the Green Burial Council, director of EarthFunerals, chairman of the Bendoc Cemetery Trust and a senior fellow at the Environmental Leadership Program. --- Support for this podcast comes from the Siena Retreat Center. Are you passionate about the spiritual growth and transformation that comes from the practice of spiritual guidance? Siena Retreat Center, located on Lake Michigan between Chicago and Milwaukee, is seeking an experienced leader in the area of spiritual companioning. The full-time position of Spiritual Guidance Coordinator involves the collaborative leadership of the Center’s Two-Year Spiritual Guidance Training Program. We invite you to explore the job description at www.sienaretreatcenter.org.

Amy Cunningham – Fitting Tribute FuneralsAired Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 5:00 PM PST / 8:00 PM ESTAt this time of the COVID-19 Pandemic, news reports share the devastating results of the accumulation and storage of victim’s bodies. Photos of refrigerated trucks around hospitals such as Bellvue leave us to wonder how families may honor and bury their deceased loved ones at this time of physical distancing and social isolation. We hear of the heroics of first responders and medical personnel, but unsung among them are the devoted and caring funeral directors who are working under extreme circumstances to provide comfort to grieving families. Join me this week on Destination Unlimited is one of these heroic funeral directors, my dear friend Amy Cunningham. Amy Cunningham is a progressive funeral home owner, licensed director and celebrant in Brooklyn who collaborates with New York City families to help them create the best funerals and farewells possible. She specializes in green burials in cemeteries certified by the Green Burial Council, simple burials within the NYC- Metropolitan area, delayed transfers and home funerals, and witnessed cremation services in Green-Wood Cemetery’s gorgeous crematory chapels.Filled with kind advice on how to make funerals more affordable and sustainable, Amy was profiled by the New York Times in 2014, Tricycle magazine in 2017, and named one of nine top funeral innovators by FuneralOne, a leading voice for change in the funeral industry. In February 2018, Women’s Health magazine gave Amy the unique moniker “Death Ritual Disrupter,” in a piece about how daily death contemplation and awareness can enrich our lives and keep us healthier. Fortified by her mortuary training from the American Academy McAllister Institute, and a BA in English Literature from the University of Virginia, Amy was trained as a funeral celebrant by Glenda Stansbury and Doug Manning, certified as a home funeral guide by Jerrigrace Lyons and Olivia Bareham, and exposed to Jewish ritual through the teachings of Rabbi Regina Sandler-Phillips. She then took end-of-life doula training with Henry Fersko-Weiss at the NY Open Center where she is now also on the faculty of the Integrative Thanatology death education counselor program. Her website is http://www.fittingtributefunerals.com/ and she joins me this week to discuss her path and how funeral professionals are dealing with this unprecedented crisis.Visit the Destination Unlimited show page https://omtimes.com/iom/shows/destination-unlimited/Connect with Victor Fuhrman at http://victorthevoice.com/#AmyCunningham #FittingTributeFunerals #VictorFuhrman #DestinationUnlimited

We are joined by Lee Webster and Ed Bixby the Presidents of Green Burial Council, which is an organization that provides advisory leadership on the practices of sustainable burial. Part I, we speak with Lee to get a history and overview of the methods used. During Part II, we talk with Ed, who takes us through the practices of a burial and what can be expected. From the Show: Green Burial Council, www.greenburialcouncil.orgLet Your Love Grow, letyourlovegrow.com/blogs/blog/eco-friendly-burialNational End of Life Doula Alliance, www.nedalliance.orgHome Funeral Alliance, www.homefuneralalliance.orgSteelmantown Cemetery Company, www.steelmantowncemetery.com Please subscribe, tell a friend, and leave us a 5-star review. To learn more about GRNE Solar visit, GRNESolar.com or you can find us across social media @GRNESolar or on Instagram @WattsUpPodcast

All Connecticut residents, regardless of political affiliation, have one thing in common: death. When the fateful day comes (waaaay in the distant future, hopefully), some choose 'green' burials and cremation options that don't hurt the environment. "It's a pretty popular concept," says Katie S. Gagnon, a board member at the Connecticut Green Burial Grounds. "Really, it's just for there to be an option for people like me who don't want to be embalmed, who don't want to go into an exotic hardwood casket." The Green Burial Council, a national organization, estimates that 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluids, 64,500 tons of steel, 1.6 million tons of reinforced concrete, 17,000 tons of copper and bronze, and 20 million feet of wood enter the ground in the U.S. every year. Greenwich resident Tessa Pascarella, who passed away in 2018, opted for a green burial on her family's 1000-acre forest in Sherman. It took more than a year, but it finally happened. "It's always fun to see the way humanity grows more human, or more civilized, from generation to generation," says Tessa's son, Aldo Pascarella, a Greenwich lawyer, "and I see this green burial movement as one such iteration." Gagnon, Pascarella and Courant reporter Greg Hladky dig deep into green burials on the latest Capitol Watch podcast.

“I never say ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’ All I say, as a funeral home director, is ‘I am here for you.’” Amy Cunningham shares the details surrounding her training and work as a funeral home director in the latest episode of #BTSPodcast, hosted by Lynae Cook. Amy Cunningham is progressive funeral home owner, licensed director and celebrant who collaborates with New York City families to help them create the best funerals and memorial services possible. She specializes in green burials in cemeteries certified by the Green Burial Council, simple burials within the NYC- Metropolitan area, home funerals, cremation services at Green-Wood Cemetery's gorgeous crematory chapels as well as memorial events of all sorts. When not out directing funerals, Amy writes a blog with funeral celebrant Kateyanne Unullisi called "The Inspired Funeral" for consumers, clergy, home funeral guides, celebrants and bereavement therapists working to enrich end-of-life experiences. Find & follow Amy online: Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrooklynFuneral Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fittingtributefunerals/ Fitting Tribute Funerals Website: http://www.fittingtributefunerals.com/ Fitting Tribute Funeral Services Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fittingtribute.nyc/ The Inspired Funeral blog: https://theinspiredfuneral.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Theinspiredfuneralcom/ Melissa Rice's article in the New Yorker, "How to Write a Condolence Letter" http://bit.ly/2KIzTNO TED Talk “Why I train grandmothers to treat depression” http://bit.ly/2XcLCLj NPR’s “The Arctic Suicides” piece on the contagion effect on All Things Considered by Rebecca Hersher: https://n.pr/2xhrubv NPR Staff’s follow-up article on “The Arctic Suicides,” https://n.pr/2xl4Hvk Follow #BTSPodcast and share what you learned and what you’d like to learn: Twitter: https://twitter.com/btsthepodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btsthepodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/btsthepodcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/19055475/ Subscribe to #askamillennial for content marketing highlights, definitions in pop culture, and internet highlights: bit.ly/askamillennial Follow host Lynae Cook Twitter: https://twitter.com/lynaecook Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btsthepodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/btsthepodcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/19055475/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/btspodcast/support

In this episode, Jenni and Josh speak with Melissa N. Unfred, The Modern Mortician, about progressive changes within the death and funeral care industry. Alternatives to embalming and cremation, such as green burials and aquamation, are explored in detail with an emphasis on potential impacts on a family's grieving process. Tools to assist families to engage in discussions around their wishes for after death care are shared. Kermit the Dog, the first certified therapy dog in funeral care in the state of Texas is also highlighted and featured.    Show Notes: The Modern Mortician: http://themodernmortician.com/ Green Burial Council: https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/ Death Cafe: https://deathcafe.com/ Morbid Curiosity Game: https://www.morbidcuriositygame.com/

In this episode of "Ask a Death Doula", my guest, the former president of The National Home Funeral Alliance Lee Webster, breaks down Home Wakes/Home Funerals in a way that every individual and End of Life Practitioner can understand!  My guest Lee Webster is a career writer, editor and researcher, and frequent speaker and published author on funeral reform, including end-of-life support, home funerals, and natural burials. She is the Director of New Hampshire Funeral Resources, Education & Advocacy, former President of the National Home Funeral Alliance, and has served on the NHPCO End-of-Life Doula Council. She currently serves as a founding member on the Board of the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance and with the Conservation Burial Alliance and the Green Burial Council. Along with consulting for end of life, home funeral and green burial causes, her writing has appeared in various mainstream magazines, newspapers, and in funeral trade outlets. She is also a frequent speaker to local and national academic, health, and conservation organizations throughout the country.   This interview includes: What is a home wake? What is a home funeral? The benefits of the green burial movement. Is embalming required by law? How education is the key to positive change. The importance of empowering families and communities with holistic, sustainable and family-based tools, skills and information in the care of the dying and the dead. How home wakes have proven to help families to have a much better bereavement process after the death of their loved one. The secret to transforming our culture is by educating and once again bring back relationships with aging, dying and death. What an individual needs to know to have a home wake? What is the role of the End of Life Doula/Death Doula in assisting a family to have a home wake? What are the laws both state and federal regarding homes wakes?   Links mentioned in this episode:  NH Funeral Resources, Education & Advocacy National Home Funeral Alliance Funeral Consumers Alliance National End-of-Life Doula Alliance   FREE DOULA TRAININGIf you're a family caregiver, community volunteer, or are interested in becoming a certified end of Life Doula Practitioner, CLICK HERE to join Suzanne for her FREE Introductory End-of-Life Doula Training! http://freetraining.doulagivers.com/   OR   Learn how to give the gift of Peace of Mind at the End of Life to yourself and your family members by signing up for Suzanne's Peace of Mind Planner course! CLICK HERE to learn about the five keys to achievingPeace of Mind at the End of Life.https://planner.doulagivers.com/about

In part two of "Green Burials," Elizabeth Fournier, affectionately called the Green Reaper, continues our discussion on planning an affordable and environmentally friendly burial. She is owner and operator of Cornerstone Funeral Services outside of Portland, Oregon. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the Green Burial Council, which sets the standard for green burials in North America. Green burials come in many shades of green; today, we discuss "50 Shades of Green." All of this leads to being proactive when it comes to how we want to leave this world.

In part two of "Green Burials," Elizabeth Fournier, affectionately called the Green Reaper, continues our discussion on planning an affordable and environmentally friendly burial. She is owner and operator of Cornerstone Funeral Services outside of Portland, Oregon. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the Green Burial Council, which sets the standard for green burials in North America. Green burials come in many shades of green; today, we discuss "50 Shades of Green." All of this leads to being proactive when it comes to how we want to leave this world.

Elizabeth Fournier, affectionately called “The Green Reaper,” is the author of The Green Burial Guidebook: Everything You Need to Plan an Affordable, Environmentally Friendly Burial. She is owner and operator of Cornerstone Funeral Services, outside of Portland, Oregon. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the Green Burial Council, which sets the standard for green burial in North America.

Elizabeth Fournier, affectionately called “The Green Reaper,” is the author of The Green Burial Guidebook: Everything You Need to Plan an Affordable, Environmentally Friendly Burial. She is owner and operator of Cornerstone Funeral Services, outside of Portland, Oregon. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the Green Burial Council, which sets the standard for green burial in North America.

Learn more about Jewish burial customs as members of the Queens Chevra Kadisha - an organization of Jewish men and women who prepare the bodies of deceased Jews for burial according to Jewish tradition - prepare a body for burial in a local funeral home.  Then visit Ed Bixby’s green burial cemetery and nature preserve and learn more about the growing trend of green funerals and how they cross over with Jewish traditions. Produced and Edited by Lisa M. Gray Produced by Jon Kalish Additional Production by Kevin Huffman and Randy Scott Carroll Music by Brett Higgins’ Atlas Revolt and Sandcatchers. Courtesy of Chant Records. Ed Bixby, Director (President), is the owner and operator of Steelmantown Green Burial Preserve in Steelmantown, NJ, as well as Purissima Natural Burial Ground in Half Moon Bay, CA. Director of the Green Burial Council.   Additional Information and Resources: Jewish Death & Mourning 101, Myjewishlearning.com Jewish Mourning FAQ, Myjewishlearning.com Video: Why Do Jews Put Stones on Graves?, Myjewishlearning.com How to Make a Shiva Call, Myjewishlearning.com How Jewish Burials are Actually Green Burials Too, Reformjudaism.org Green Burial Council  

This week on the podcast Kelly and I talk to undertaker, funeral home owner and author of The Green Burial Guidebook Elizabeth Fournier. Elizabeth, known affectionately as the “Green Reaper,” owns and operates Cornerstone Funeral Services in Boring, Oregon (we’re not making that up). She serves on the Advisory Board for the Green Burial Council. […]

Bill welcomes author and undertaker Elizabeth Fournier to the show. Elizabeth, known as The Green Reaper, is the owner and operator of Cornerstone Funeral Services, outside of Portland, Oregon, in a tiny town called Boring. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Green Burial Council, and lives on a farm with her husband, daughter and many rescue goats. She is also the author of The Green Burial Guide: Everything You Need to Plan an Affordable, Environmentally Friendly Burial. Don't miss it.

In part two of "Green Burials," Elizabeth Fournier, affectionately called the Green Reaper, continues our discussion on planning an affordable and environmentally friendly burial. She is owner and operator of Cornerstone Funeral Services outside of Portland, Oregon. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the Green Burial Council, which sets the standard for green burials in North America. Green burials come in many shades of green; today, we discuss "50 Shades of Green." All of this leads to being proactive when it comes to how we want to leave this world.

In part two of "Green Burials," Elizabeth Fournier, affectionately called the Green Reaper, continues our discussion on planning an affordable and environmentally friendly burial. She is owner and operator of Cornerstone Funeral Services outside of Portland, Oregon. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the Green Burial Council, which sets the standard for green burials in North America. Green burials come in many shades of green; today, we discuss "50 Shades of Green." All of this leads to being proactive when it comes to how we want to leave this world.

Elizabeth Fournier, affectionately called “The Green Reaper,” is the author of The Green Burial Guidebook: Everything You Need to Plan an Affordable, Environmentally Friendly Burial. She is owner and operator of Cornerstone Funeral Services, outside of Portland, Oregon. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the Green Burial Council, which sets the standard for green burial in North America.

Elizabeth Fournier, affectionately called “The Green Reaper,” is the author of The Green Burial Guidebook: Everything You Need to Plan an Affordable, Environmentally Friendly Burial. She is owner and operator of Cornerstone Funeral Services, outside of Portland, Oregon. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the Green Burial Council, which sets the standard for green burial in North America.

Lee Webster discusses her educational and advocacy efforts in the "neo-traditional" home funeral and green burial movements. Links to organizations and resources mentioned in this episode: Green Burial Council National Home Funeral Alliance New Hampshire Funeral Resources, Education & Advocacy Changing Landscapes: Exploring the growth of ethical, compassionate, and environmentally sustainable green funeral practice Selected quotes: Home funerals are “family led and family directed.” “We don’t recognize death as an emergency.” “One of the main characteristics of a home funeral is that it’s okay for people to look dead. We’re taking the time to be present and nearby and to engage with what’s happening. It’s taking the time to be with them.” In green burial, “we do nothing to impede decomposition. That’s pretty basic. No concrete, no metal, no exotic woods, no embalming, no toxic chemicals of any kind. We are letting nature take its course at its own pace.” “Green burial is bringing back ritual to a society that has been losing it because we’ve been trying to avoid the heavy costs of funerals and going with direct cremation.” We want people to think about “what is truly authentic about the life of the person they’re honoring.” "Funeral reform is very much needed. There are certain practices within the industry itself that do need change in a very big way." “People are hungering for this information.” "One of the largest issues for me is simply access." "The sooner we can get grassroots activism going, the sooner this will all be a moot issue." "The Catholic Church is really leading the way in green burial because we're getting back to full body burial. They never wanted cremation." "Unitarian Universalists, from the very beginning, have been big leaders in funeral reform."

Honor the dead. Heal the living. Invite in the divine. What a beautiful mission statement, and one adopted by the Green Burial Council, which was founded by my guest Joe Sehee. Only a former Jesuit lay minister and street entertainer would come up with something that heartfelt, which is why Joe is such an interesting guest. In Part One, he and I discussed funeral industry greenwashing and ways we consumers can avoid getting duped. In Part Two you’ll learn about the difference between a natural, green, and conversation burial ground, and some lessons we both learned while working for IBM. It seems the funeral industry, like the computer industry before it, is being dragged forward…often kicking and screaming…into what Joe calls an “End of life revolution." What are those forces? What revolution? Well listen in, and you’ll find out! But first, we pick up where we left off last time, discussing the origins of that mysterious mix we call embalming fluid. Drink up me lads and lassies, on Part Two of my interview with the founder of the Green Burial Council, Joe Sehee. 

You pick up a bottle of laundry detergent at the grocery store, and it's labeled “green” and is twice the price of regular detergent. But is it really safer for the environment? Often we just don’t know. Well it turns out green standards for the funeral industry are just as murky and unregulated, and there are some who will sell you and an expensive green funeral that really isn’t…a practice called “greenwashing.” My guest believed consumers should have access to objective information, so he founded the Green Burial Council, which established rigorous green standards for cemeteries who truly want to operate in an environmentally conscious way. Today the GBC, an international organization, protects consumers like you and me from greenwashing and gives legitimate green cemetery operators an opportunity to voluntarily become GBC certified, which many have. I caught up with Joe in Australia where he and his family live. Joe starts our time together by taking us on a virtual tour of a natural cemetery, and wrap up with a lively discussion about embalming fluid. Salute! Please join me for Part One of my interview with Joe Sehee, founder of the Green Burial Council.