Honoring Loved Ones and Nature with Eco-Friendly Burials
One way to frame life is to view it as a series of transitions. We are born without language before we learn and begin to speak. Our first years are spent lying and crawling, and then we take that first step. After walking and talking, we grow stronger, bigger, more sophisticated. Awareness of the world around us progresses as we journey through our various means of education. We use that expanded knowledge to transition into a job. Careers and passions guide us through numerous experiences until we eventually retire, finding yet new ways to explore and develop. In time, we have possibly the most significant transition since our birth.
At The Living Urn®, we like to see this significant transition as an opportunity to continue growing, living, and giving. That’s why we have invested so much of our energy into the way we remember and honor our loved ones who have made that ultimate transition. And it’s why we think our eco-friendly tree burial options, like our BioUrn® and Memory Forest®, are beautiful ways to continue giving to the environment in this transition.
Why Choose an Eco-Friendly Tree Burial?
We've heard many stories of families planting a tree memorial at home, in a nearby park, or at another special place. For families who do not have a special place in mind to plant outdoors, many choose an indoor cremation urn option or elect to do a tree burial at a Memory Forest®.
Memory Forests are committed to replacing tombstones with trees and cemeteries with forests. We love the idea of giving families a living memory while also giving back to Mother Earth. With The Living Urn® and Memory Forest®, families have an alternative to the ‘traditional burial’, which has many advantages, including:
Utilize resources more efficiently
In the US alone, cemeteries bury nearly 100,000 tons of steel in caskets and over 30 million hardwood feet. Even more, 1.6 million tons of concrete and 17,000 tons of steel and copper are used in burial vaults. This is a lot of resources being used for a single purpose.
Avoid harmful chemicals
Eliminating the embalming process can be an effective option. Formaldehyde is one of the ingredients in the fluid used for embalming, but it is regarded as a carcinogen. In the US each year, 5.3 million gallons of fluid are used in this burial method.
Much more affordable
Our eco-friendly tree memorial options are also more friendly on our finances. Costs are commonly reduced by the removal of methods involving embalming, caskets, or vaults. Eco-friendly approaches can save thousands of dollars.
Contribute to natural environments
Eco-friendly options can offer food and refuge to birds and other wildlife, while also maintaining natural habitats and ecological systems. They can even clean our air and produce vital oxygen for life.
The Living Urn® and Eco-Friendly Opportunities
The Living Urn’s patented BioUrn® is made from 100% biodegradable materials that are all-natural. Even the packaging of our cremation tree kit is made from bamboo, a sustainable resource and an excellent choice as an eco-friendly building or packaging material. This is not the only way our tree urn is giving back to our environment and future generations. The investment you make in your own memory tree is also an investment in more trees for everyone. For every memory tree planted, we donate to plant a second tree. And our donation efforts are explicitly directed towards areas of the US in need of reforestation. This is an additional part of our effort to replace tombstones with trees.
We are proud of how our efforts help to not only provide beautiful ways for remembering but also provide means of continuing to give back to the environment.
Memory Forests® - Replacing Cemeteries with Forests
Our Memory Forests® takes the next step - replacing cemeteries with forests. Through exclusive partnerships with leading cemeteries and memorial parks throughout the United States, Memory Forest® is an opportunity to honor both a loved one and nature. You can give back to nature without sacrificing memory or celebration. Once you’ve found a Memory Forest® in your preferred area, you can choose a type of tree and plot location. You can set a date for planting and hold a planting ceremony.
There is also the opportunity for personal memorial markers, using either artistic or traditional methods. Even though we are communing with nature, Memory Forest® hasn’t left out technology. We will soon be incorporating QR codes and video, bringing a new, multi-dimensional experience to visiting the memorials of family and friends. You can soon remotely view your tree in real-time online using your computer, tablet, or phone.
Memory Forest® was established in 2018 by the same team that developed The Living Urn®. It is another way we are always striving to move forward in developing lasting and meaningful memories. We witnessed an undeniable surge of interest in The Living Urn®, with more people searching for a permanent resting place and continued care for their loved one's memory tree.
Honor the memory of yourself or a loved one and the beauty of nature with The Living Urn® and Memory Forest®.