Georgia efforts stymied

I met Jim Wood, the co-founder of Summerland green cemetery at a conference to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Crossings in Maryland.  Jim had dealt with many objections to the natural burial site he planned to open with his business partner.  He felt confident that he would be able to start accepting bodies some time this year.  But Summerland cemetery will not open this year because the locals, in conjunction with local cemeterarians, have created a new ordinance that makes it impossible for Jim and his partner to start their business.   Jim's cause has been taken up by the Funeral Consumers' Alliance, as well as other green burial pioneers.  The ordinance is based on fear and misinformation - and needs to be addressed!

You can read the story as reported by the local Georgia newspaper, by copying and visiting the links below.

http://www.macon.com/149/story/514700.html

http://www.macon.com/198/story/515312.html

http://www.macon.com/203/story/525546.html

Jim could do with whatever support we can offer, at this time.

Meanwhile - we are in the process of planning for the 2009 Green and Home Funeral Conference that will take place in Boulder, Colorado.  Visit the Conference 2009 page at our website - to view the provisional call for proposals.  We are looking for sponsors, participants, to make this an even bigger success than 2008.

There are so many lessons we can learn from experiences like Jim's.  There is so much education we need to do and so much support we need to give each other for our initiatives.

New Blog about Green and Home Funerals

A Greener Way to the Great Beyond - The 1st Green Burial Conference was a great success with participants from a number of different states as well as enthusiasts from Colorado.  The Prairie Wilderness Cemetery, a Colorado initiative to start a green burial site near Greeley, CO, presented on challenges in starting a green burial site with neighborhood opposition raising its head following the purchase of the land.  Prairie Wilderness is now setting its sights on converting an existing cemetery into a green burial site.  

Mark Harris, environmental journalist and author of Grave Matters, presented his enlightening slide show on green and natural funerals, based on his countrywide tour.  

Joe Sehee of the Green Burial Council shared his insights working with conservation burial site initiatives across the US.  

A number of conference participants said they were eager to network and provide support for each other as they move forward with their various projects.  

Natural Transitions is planning another conference for the fall of 2009 - which would include the topic of home funerals (which, by nature, are invariably green) - and would like input on potential speakers and subjects.  

NT will be inviting some of the local participants of the conference who expressed an interest in helping to create Colorado-based natural burial options to an informal gathering to explore the way ahead.  

On a sad note - here is the site for a newspaper article about Jim Wood's Georgia green burial initiative that has hit a huge roadblock - http://www.macon.com/149/story/514700.html

Jim could do with our support at this time - in whatever way we can give it.  This is evidence of how much education it will take to change fear-based thinking and cultivate a conscious approach to death.

If you would like to comment on this post or on another related topic, please email us at info@naturaltransitions.org.