Green burials with no embalming? This Pierce County cemetery can return you to nature
The city of Sumner is reviving a burial practice that is thousands of years old.
The cemetery at 12324 Valley Ave. E. will have an area called the Rainier Valley green burial site. It is a place where families and friends can put to rest their loved ones in a natural way.
“We’re providing this because it’s an alternative for people,” community services manager Derek Barry said. “It’s something that isn’t provided in the area.”
The green burial site will be on the west side of the cemetery. It has views of state Route 167 and Mount Rainier. The city expects to begin offering green burials as soon as October. The plots won’t be limited to Sumner residents.
The cemetery already has 40 green burial plots mapped out on the site. The city has not finalized costs yet, but a plot might be $4,500. Grave markers, which would be polished boulders, might cost between $1,500 to $2,500 depending on the size.
The green burial process involves prepping the body without chemicals such as embalming fluids that prevent decomposition. The body would be covered with a shroud or placed in a biodegradable casket.
When it’s time for a burial, the casket would be placed on a wagon and rolled out to the green burial site. At the site, there would be a 6-foot wide, 10-foot long, 4-foot deep grave lined with wood chips or beauty bark.
Families and friends will be able to help pull the wagon, dig the grave and lower the casket. After the casket is placed, the hole would be filled with biomass such as leaves and small sticks. Compost and soil would top it off.
Visitors can place fresh flowers on the grave, but the flowers can’t be in a container that isn’t biodegradable. Artificial items and decorations aren’t allowed at the green burial site. The city wants to keep the site looking natural, Barry said.
The Sumner City Council unanimously voted during the Aug. 21 council meeting to update its municipal code so it includes a section about green burials.
“It’s really nice that we can offer it to not only our citizens but surrounding areas because we have an extremely nice cemetery,” Deputy Mayor Cindi Hochstatter said during the council meeting.
The idea of having a green burial site in Sumner began in 2019 when a former city employee attended a green burial conference in New Mexico. Barry said he has yet to see a municipal cemetery in Washington state that offers this service.
Hillcrest Cemetery on Bainbridge Island offers green burials. Cedar Lawns Memorial Park & Funeral Home in Redmond and Woodlawn Cemetery in Snohomish also provide the service.
Some don’t like the idea of being cremated or buried in a concrete box, and green burials are a “great alternative” to that, Barry said.
Green burials are also more environmentally friendly than cremation or standard burials. Cremation burns fossil fuels. Creating and transporting burial vaults “uses a tremendous amount of energy and causes significant carbon emission,” according to the Green Burial Council’s website.
Those interested in a green burial plot can call the cemetery office at 253-299-5510 or visit sumnercemetery.org for more information.
This story was originally published September 3, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
