HOUSTON, June 14 (UPI) -- A "green burial" movement meant to eliminate toxic and non-biodegradable materials from end-of-life rituals is gaining ground, observers say.
Green services eliminate embalming, tombstones and metal caskets to create environmentally friendly burials, The Houston Chronicle reported Monday.
A recent poll by AARP of Americans older than 50 found 21 percent said they would prefer an eco-friendly end-of-life ritual, the newspaper said.
Many choose the green option not as a final act of environmental activism but out of a desire to be close to the land, to return to biblical practices or as an alternative to embalming without choosing cremation, the non-profit Green Burial Council says.
One Houston resident says she likes the concept of "dust to dust."
"I'm not saying I'm an environmentalist, I can't say that, but whatever we give back is greater than what we receive," 58-year-old Gilda Hart said.
The National Funeral Directors Association doesn't discourage the practice, but says there are questions to be considered, the Chronicle reported.
"Because green funerals are an emerging alternative to traditional funeral practices, some questions have not yet been answered, such as whether there are any long-term effects on the environment," the organization says in a pamphlet distributed to members.
