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Family Comment

Green Funerals

At Armstrongs Funeral Service we offer a range of options for those people interested in green or “environmentally conscious” funerals.

Over the last few years society has become more environmentally conscious. We are constantly being told of the hole in the ozone layer, the melting ice caps and the changing weather conditions. It is up to us to protect the earth if we want the future generations to enjoy what we enjoy. People are aware of how to be environmentally friendly in everyday life but when it comes to a funeral, we are very uneducated. Yes, the traditional will continue to be the main type of funeral in the UK but as the 21st Century approaches a family has an alternative choice.

What is a green funeral?

There are a number of items that can constitute a green or environmentally conscious funeral, the simplest being the choice of coffin, this can range from simply using an environmentally friendly veneered coffin manufactured using woods from managed sustained yield forests to using a cardboard or even a hand woven willow or bamboo coffin.

Where burial is required then burial in a “Green burial ground” is an option. Woodland Burials are for families who want to express an interest in the final conclusion of life’s activities in further protecting and enhancing the environment. The Green Funeral has also brought about the return of the traditional Horse drawn Hearse which as well as looking very elegant avoids any element of car pollution.

What is a woodland burial?

To Armstrongs, there are only three differences between a Woodland Burial and a traditional funeral. These are the type of coffin used, the Woodland Burial Cemetery and the marking of the grave.

A funeral is individual to each and every family. The options available to a family arranging a Woodland Burial will be exactly the same options available to a family arranging a traditional funeral. Choosing a Woodland Burial will not affect our service in any way. It will still be of the highest standard.

Woodland burial coffins

There are four choices of coffin for a Woodland Burial. Our environmentally friendly veneered coffins are manufactured using woods from managed sustained yield forests and our cardboard coffins are made using corrugated papers and are completely biodegradable. We also have available willow and bamboo coffins.

Woodland burial cemeteries

Armstrongs are pleased to announce a woodland burial site at Culford for those families wishing to arrange the burial of a loved one in an informal woodland and meadow setting. We are very proud to have been chosen as the main agent in Bury St. Edmunds for this beautiful site. Click here for more info.

Graves

The position of all graves will be recorded on a plan to allow for location in the future. We would ask you to bear in mind that graves will be under the grasses and flowers of the meadow.

Management of the burial site

Over the years the cemetery will become an established meadow with copses of native trees. The grass will only be cut twice a year at a time to encourage wild flowers, although walkways will be cut more frequently. As in any managed woodland, it is not possible to guarantee the life span of particular trees. No herbicides will be used in the burial ground other than to aid the growth of the young trees and (if necessary) to control noxious weeds.