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The Green Burial Guidebook: Everything You Need to Plan an Affordable, Environmentally Friendly Burial
Despite the widespread attention garnered by Jessica Mitford's 1963 exposé of the funeral industry, The American Way of Death, the American way of death still includes average funeral expenses of between $8,000 and $12,000. What's more, every year conventional burials in the U.S. bury 800,000 gallons of embalming fluid, containing carcinogenic formaldehyde; hundreds of thousands of tons of wood, steel, copper, and bronze caskets; and millions of tons of concrete vaults. There is a better way and Fournier, affectionately dubbed the "Green Reaper," walks readers through it, step-by-step. With green burial and home funeral basics to legal how and what's; choices in practices (at home, at sea, etc.); and even detours into examples of celebrity green burials; this is comprehensive and compassionate guidance. The idea of a "good death" has been much discussed. Fournier points the way to good post-deaths, ones that consider the environmental well-being of the planet and the economic well-being of loved ones.
178 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2018
27 people are currently reading
293 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Fournier
3 books18 followersElizabeth Fournier is the owner and operator of Cornerstone Funeral Services in Boring, Oregon, the first green funeral home in the Portland metropolitan area. She works as a green mortician and eco-educator, and is affectionately known as the Green Reaper because of her passion of home funerals and natural burials. Elizabeth has sat on the International Board of Directors for North America Natural Burial for the past five years. She is also a member of the Board of Advisors for the Green Burial Council, the environmental certification organization setting the standard for green burial in North America.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 29, 2018
The book on green burial I've been looking for. Perfect for exploring options and explaining them to others. Manages to be comforting too - the author's empathy shines through, and her use of examples from her own funeral directing business is highly reassuring. Will recommend to others and buy a copy for myself.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss+.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss+.
June 18, 2018
This review originally appeared on The Magical Buffet's website on 06/18/2018.
Not to be morbid, but we’re all going to die. We generally learn this at a young age, which gives you (hopefully) plenty of time to ponder that fact. For as long as I can remember I told people that when I died to donate any parts of my body that could help others, cremate me, and toss the ashes in the garbage because they don’t really matter. I found the idea of my body being around in an urn, or with a headstone somewhere, to be kind of a burden on those left behind. Why bother? I’ll be dead so who cares what happens?
Then, thanks to the internet I started seeing articles about having your ashes put in a seed pod to grow a tree. Suddenly there seemed like there was a way for my body to still be useful! Of course that was the stuff of essentially internet legend, right?
This all brings us to the fascinating book “The Green Burial Guidebook: Everything You Need to Plan an Affordable, Environmentally Friendly Burial” by Elizabeth Fournier. What an amazing resource! I got to learn about the impact our deaths have on the environment. Embalming, caskets, even cremation all have different impacts on the environment. Fournier expertly explains all these differences and how you can choose to lessen the environmental impact of your burial. Better still, she takes you step by step through the funeral process. Different types of funerals, various laws to consider, figuring out what to be buried in, cremations, and more are clearly outlined. Once you’re loaded with all this information and feel ready to act on your new knowledge, Fournier offers a bunch of resources.
“The Green Burial Guidebook” is a helpful book to read to just to learn about the after death process of legally burying someone and honoring the deceased wishes. Essentially if you, or anyone you know, is planning on dying one day, you should read this book.
Not to be morbid, but we’re all going to die. We generally learn this at a young age, which gives you (hopefully) plenty of time to ponder that fact. For as long as I can remember I told people that when I died to donate any parts of my body that could help others, cremate me, and toss the ashes in the garbage because they don’t really matter. I found the idea of my body being around in an urn, or with a headstone somewhere, to be kind of a burden on those left behind. Why bother? I’ll be dead so who cares what happens?
Then, thanks to the internet I started seeing articles about having your ashes put in a seed pod to grow a tree. Suddenly there seemed like there was a way for my body to still be useful! Of course that was the stuff of essentially internet legend, right?
This all brings us to the fascinating book “The Green Burial Guidebook: Everything You Need to Plan an Affordable, Environmentally Friendly Burial” by Elizabeth Fournier. What an amazing resource! I got to learn about the impact our deaths have on the environment. Embalming, caskets, even cremation all have different impacts on the environment. Fournier expertly explains all these differences and how you can choose to lessen the environmental impact of your burial. Better still, she takes you step by step through the funeral process. Different types of funerals, various laws to consider, figuring out what to be buried in, cremations, and more are clearly outlined. Once you’re loaded with all this information and feel ready to act on your new knowledge, Fournier offers a bunch of resources.
“The Green Burial Guidebook” is a helpful book to read to just to learn about the after death process of legally burying someone and honoring the deceased wishes. Essentially if you, or anyone you know, is planning on dying one day, you should read this book.
March 14, 2020
What a time to be reading this, when Coronavirus has shut down everything. I’ve had this book for months and just started reading it because I finally have time. Definitely an inspiring book- if we end up shut in for two or more weeks, I’m definitely planning out my funeral with my loved ones so they don’t have to worry when it happens.
March 11, 2023
Lots of information and ideas but I think the author was a bit obsessive about the whole about going green. And, someone should tell her that all these green ideas she's pushing aren't very green if you were to really look closely at them.
Her obsession includes the tiniest, pointless details such as meals to bring to the family after a death. Do you really think grieving people care about non-humane meat or if a meal is store bought or homemade. This grieving person should also check to make sure there isn't anything like preservatives, trans fat, etc. Oh and no gluten even though gluten is only bad for people who has celiac disease. I would just be grateful with whatever someone brings over healthy or not because it means they were thinking about me during a very difficult
The author also pushes the idea of backyard burials even though the idea
Of a backyard burial are dumb and I'll explain a good reason why.There is a neighborhood close to me that was built on the land of an old farm from the 1800s. For some reason the family plot was either abandoned or forgotten and the bodies left behind. I did do a search and the people listed as buried in the old plot doesn't show up in any other cemetery lists or records. The land was sold to a developer who was informed that there was a family plot now considered lost somewhere on the land he bought. But, because there was no evidence of graves on the property was able to build his fancy, neighborhood
So when I pass by I can't help but think that one of those houses or yards have graves beneath them. Isn't that how some horror movies start? So, I would never want to be buried in my yard unless I had a house and tons of acres of wilderness. Then maybe you can find a way to preserve that wilderness forever and could never be built upon or destroyed.
Her obsession includes the tiniest, pointless details such as meals to bring to the family after a death. Do you really think grieving people care about non-humane meat or if a meal is store bought or homemade. This grieving person should also check to make sure there isn't anything like preservatives, trans fat, etc. Oh and no gluten even though gluten is only bad for people who has celiac disease. I would just be grateful with whatever someone brings over healthy or not because it means they were thinking about me during a very difficult
The author also pushes the idea of backyard burials even though the idea
Of a backyard burial are dumb and I'll explain a good reason why.There is a neighborhood close to me that was built on the land of an old farm from the 1800s. For some reason the family plot was either abandoned or forgotten and the bodies left behind. I did do a search and the people listed as buried in the old plot doesn't show up in any other cemetery lists or records. The land was sold to a developer who was informed that there was a family plot now considered lost somewhere on the land he bought. But, because there was no evidence of graves on the property was able to build his fancy, neighborhood
So when I pass by I can't help but think that one of those houses or yards have graves beneath them. Isn't that how some horror movies start? So, I would never want to be buried in my yard unless I had a house and tons of acres of wilderness. Then maybe you can find a way to preserve that wilderness forever and could never be built upon or destroyed.
July 23, 2018
Excellent book! Even though its theme is kind of morbid, Fournier's writing style is so "down to earth" that The Guidebook is full of more humor and compassion than probably any book I've read this year.
This quote pretty much shows what you can expect:
"In a cemetery near Melbourne, the deceased are placed in biodegradable shrouds and buried in cylindrical holes, in a feet first position. This method allows for twice as many burial spaces as a typical cemetery, and since no embalming or expensive casket is used, it truly is a green burial.
I can see how a vertical burial kind of ruins the image of eternal rest. But I like to think being interred in an upright orientation would make one much more aerodynamic, making it easier to float to heaven more quickly." (p.38)
Even if you aren't dying any time soon, this book is definitely worth a read! It's lighthearted, pretty quick, and really thought-provoking in terms of the funeral industry in America and how we approach burial and death in general. I never knew how expensive or environmentally destructive traditional funerals could be, but The Green Burial Guidebook gave me a ton of solutions to something I hadn't even realized was a problem. Five stars upon thars!
This quote pretty much shows what you can expect:
"In a cemetery near Melbourne, the deceased are placed in biodegradable shrouds and buried in cylindrical holes, in a feet first position. This method allows for twice as many burial spaces as a typical cemetery, and since no embalming or expensive casket is used, it truly is a green burial.
I can see how a vertical burial kind of ruins the image of eternal rest. But I like to think being interred in an upright orientation would make one much more aerodynamic, making it easier to float to heaven more quickly." (p.38)
Even if you aren't dying any time soon, this book is definitely worth a read! It's lighthearted, pretty quick, and really thought-provoking in terms of the funeral industry in America and how we approach burial and death in general. I never knew how expensive or environmentally destructive traditional funerals could be, but The Green Burial Guidebook gave me a ton of solutions to something I hadn't even realized was a problem. Five stars upon thars!
June 20, 2018
My estate planning and probate practice inspired me to pick up this book after hearing a segment with the author on WPR's Central Time. This is a concise and fast read, taking you farther into the world of "green burials" then I have read before. From Death Cafes to carpooling to a funeral to ecopods -- it is filled with creative approaches on how to depart in a green way. Anyone who walks a green and simple life should read this book for ideas on how to exit in the same manner.
Two oversights in this book would be: one, not everyone has "family land" to consider a home burial; and two, dysfunctional families or those separated by distance make the immediate action often required for a green burial an option.
Two oversights in this book would be: one, not everyone has "family land" to consider a home burial; and two, dysfunctional families or those separated by distance make the immediate action often required for a green burial an option.
July 28, 2018
Great, supportive and informative book full of lovely anecdotes, good facts, and sensible planning suggestions.
Unfortunately, it supports the mushroom suit which is really disappointing. The mushroom suit is an unnecessary product that started as an art project and risks upsetting the natural balance of fungi in the burial environment at best or introducing an invasive species at worst. All that is needed for green burial to work is healthy soil. Dead bodies are not an environmental health risk!
Unfortunately, it supports the mushroom suit which is really disappointing. The mushroom suit is an unnecessary product that started as an art project and risks upsetting the natural balance of fungi in the burial environment at best or introducing an invasive species at worst. All that is needed for green burial to work is healthy soil. Dead bodies are not an environmental health risk!
June 29, 2018
This is such a great resource, and such a fascinating topic. There are so many really beautiful, almost whimsical green burial options there. Thinking about the different options is somehow comforting! I didn't realize how expensive (and bad for the earth!) traditional burials are. The book outlines some options that are kinder to the earth and leave less of a financial burden on a grieving family.
Note: I agented this book so of course I am going to give it a rave review! ;)
Note: I agented this book so of course I am going to give it a rave review! ;)
May 11, 2018
This book made me think a lot about how I want to leave this earth. I want to go as green as possible. I want to be placed in a shroud and into the earth. Thanks to Fournier, this choice was laid out in a way that could not be more clear to me.
July 22, 2018
This mortician is the real deal. She has been around and put in the time. A great read!!
June 8, 2019
When my mother suffered a small stroke in May 2018, her capabilities diminished so rapidly that I expected her final months were approaching faster than anticipated. Once she seemed quite stable, I agreed to attend an out-of-state conference for work and go ahead with a long-planned trip to my college reunion. This meant I had some long, cross-country flights to sit through.
With Mom's presumedly imminent death weighing on my mind, I found Elizabeth Fournier's "Green Burial Guidebook" on an airport-bookshop shelf. It resolved so many doubts I had in my mind about preparing a final resting place for a woman who was a life-long eco-warrior: I would arrange a green burial, in some lovely, remote corner of wilderness.
The book is - as is Fournier's memoir about her chosen profession as a mortician with a green thumb - clear, unsentimental, forthright. But it is also kind and almost gentle in helping those of us still on the earth consider what to do with our loved ones (and eventually ourselves, when we're no longer upright and taking nourishment) after the last breath is taken... Her touch of humor about some of the planned burials that have gone a bit sideways lets the reader smile and so relieve some of the tension.
Through the Guidebook, I found the perfect place: White Eagle Natural Burial Ground, outside Goldendale, Washington. It backs on to Nature Conservancy land - which is so appropriate, because Mom has donated to TNC for years and years. For all I know, her small annual check has helped defend that corner of wild country where she'll someday rest.
With Mom's presumedly imminent death weighing on my mind, I found Elizabeth Fournier's "Green Burial Guidebook" on an airport-bookshop shelf. It resolved so many doubts I had in my mind about preparing a final resting place for a woman who was a life-long eco-warrior: I would arrange a green burial, in some lovely, remote corner of wilderness.
The book is - as is Fournier's memoir about her chosen profession as a mortician with a green thumb - clear, unsentimental, forthright. But it is also kind and almost gentle in helping those of us still on the earth consider what to do with our loved ones (and eventually ourselves, when we're no longer upright and taking nourishment) after the last breath is taken... Her touch of humor about some of the planned burials that have gone a bit sideways lets the reader smile and so relieve some of the tension.
Through the Guidebook, I found the perfect place: White Eagle Natural Burial Ground, outside Goldendale, Washington. It backs on to Nature Conservancy land - which is so appropriate, because Mom has donated to TNC for years and years. For all I know, her small annual check has helped defend that corner of wild country where she'll someday rest.
September 10, 2022
Part of my practice as a death companion is assisting in Advance Care Planning. One of the things I hear most often in this work is that my friends want to reduce their environmental impact as much as possible and also leave as small a burden on their loved ones as they can.
Elizabeth Fournier’s “the Green Burial Guide” is the most helpful guide I’ve found for helping my friends envision their after-death care. In fact, after reading this concise and digestible little book, I’ve amended my own wishes.
Part 1 offers an overview of green burials, with facts about the environmental impact of traditional body disposition methods and a simple, articulate outline of the basics of a green burial. Part 2 is a complete breakdown of how to plan your own green burial and home funeral.
This helpful book is perfect for so many death workers to have on their bookshelves, especially those helping to educate on body disposition options. It’s also a wonderful resource for anyone who will one day die 😉 and wants to leave the Earth with as little negative impact as possible.
IG:@the.farewell.library
Elizabeth Fournier’s “the Green Burial Guide” is the most helpful guide I’ve found for helping my friends envision their after-death care. In fact, after reading this concise and digestible little book, I’ve amended my own wishes.
Part 1 offers an overview of green burials, with facts about the environmental impact of traditional body disposition methods and a simple, articulate outline of the basics of a green burial. Part 2 is a complete breakdown of how to plan your own green burial and home funeral.
This helpful book is perfect for so many death workers to have on their bookshelves, especially those helping to educate on body disposition options. It’s also a wonderful resource for anyone who will one day die 😉 and wants to leave the Earth with as little negative impact as possible.
IG:@the.farewell.library
September 27, 2023
Elizabeth Fournier is local enough to me that I hope to use her services in the future, so I'm willing to admit I may be a little biased here. This guide is nothing if not practical, and I could see plenty of reason to have it on hand as reference whenever there's a death in one's inner circle. I had already read all of Caitlyn Doughty's books that were differently educational about death and end-of-life matters, but I still found this book to be helpful in a different, more personal way. Where else are you going to learn how to wrap a shroud, weather considerations for the grave site you've dug on your private property, or tips about considering every detail of a funeral to maximize its sustainability? This author shares just the right amount of anecdotes, to illustrate larger points she's making rather than making this book drip in folksiness. I really appreciated it and, incidentally, appreciated the author's appearance at the Milwaukie Ledding Library author series last week.
August 12, 2023
Great resource - I took notes and plan on doing some additional research for state laws since I’m in one of those pickier states. Then I plan on taking my information to my next cemetery commission meeting as I’m one of the newer commissioners that wishes to introduce the greener burial 🪦 practice and hopefully get an established practice.
She provides so many ideas for your or your loved ones green burial and funeral as well as a plethora of resources, examples, fixes to the unfortunate events, budgetary ideas, and points out some of those states with pickier laws *cough* like mine.
She also conveniently lists all of the available green cemeteries thru the US and some of Canada in the back of the book!
🪦 👻 ✌️
She provides so many ideas for your or your loved ones green burial and funeral as well as a plethora of resources, examples, fixes to the unfortunate events, budgetary ideas, and points out some of those states with pickier laws *cough* like mine.
She also conveniently lists all of the available green cemeteries thru the US and some of Canada in the back of the book!
🪦 👻 ✌️
October 3, 2025
The Green Burial Guidebook is an important book that offers environmentally-friendly ways to celebrate a loved ones life and in a less expensive way. The back cover of this book says it all: "Funeral expenses in the United States average more than $10,000. And every year conventional funerals bury millions of tons of wood, concrete, and metals, as well as millions of gallons of carcinogenic embalming fluid. There is a better way." I highly recommend this book.
Reviewed by Jacob D. Salzer, author of Sea Wind: Haiku (Lulu.com, 2025), A Lost Prophet (Brooks Books, 2024), and Unplugged (Lulu.com, 2022) and previous managing editor of Frogpond: The Journal of the Haiku Society of America
Reviewed by Jacob D. Salzer, author of Sea Wind: Haiku (Lulu.com, 2025), A Lost Prophet (Brooks Books, 2024), and Unplugged (Lulu.com, 2022) and previous managing editor of Frogpond: The Journal of the Haiku Society of America
July 29, 2022
I absolutely loved this book!! As a future funeral director, I’m super glad I was able to read this and learn about many options other than the usual funeral/cremation. I hope to one day be a green burial connoisseur like Fournier! I loved the inclusion of so many resources in the back of the book so I can do even more of my own research.
September 9, 2023
Educational read about environmentally friendly ways to allow our bodies to return to the earth, instead of the conventional system of burial with nonbiodegrable materials and carcinogenic embalming fluids. Lots of ideas about how to honor a loved one or plan your own green burial wishes, without polluting the earth.
July 1, 2023
Written in 2018 and still applicable today!
Very practical information,even if we choose a traditional funeral, but definitely if you were looking to create a green funeral or a home funeral
I learned a lot reading this book!
Very practical information,even if we choose a traditional funeral, but definitely if you were looking to create a green funeral or a home funeral
I learned a lot reading this book!
May 1, 2019
This was a very interesting book. A resource you should own, if you are planning on a green burial.
July 11, 2019
A lot of this I already knew, but that's because I try and stay abreast of the topic. As a general guide for a newcomer into the world of green burial, it is a great resource.
Read
March 11, 2020so. much. to. consider.
June 28, 2022
Very thorough, very helpful and very interesting.
November 11, 2019
Not to sound (overly) morbid, but, as a staunch environmentalist, I've often thought the greenest thing we humans could do with our lives is to die. As it turns out, I was wrong, wrong, and wrong!
As there is a 100% chance of death's occurrence (at some point), it is perhaps wise to plan for it instead of waiting until moribund, or delegating the task to those left behind. Elizabeth Fournier provides a practical, sensitive, and deeply humane guide and example to follow.
As there is a 100% chance of death's occurrence (at some point), it is perhaps wise to plan for it instead of waiting until moribund, or delegating the task to those left behind. Elizabeth Fournier provides a practical, sensitive, and deeply humane guide and example to follow.
Read
July 24, 2018I can't provide a rating for this book. It's as the title says it is, a guide to doing a green burial. I got some good tips but don't think this path is for me. I will say, green burials are more expensive than I thought they would be!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews