Thank you for visiting the Green Burial Council. This is the place to learn more about green burial and how to find certified cemetery stewards, funeral professionals, and funerary product sellers who share the commitment to create more sustainable after-death options for you, your community, and the planet.

Overview

The Green Burial Council (GBC):
  • was founded in 2005 by Joe Sehee to ensure consumers would be served by having verifiable standards for green funeral enterprises. 
  • develops and maintains certification standards for cemeteries, funeral homes, and product providers and all certification is conducted by independent third-party experts. Three types of cemeteries are certified by the GBC*:
    • hybrid, an area within a conventional cemetery where burial occurs without a concrete vault, chemical embalming, and with a biodegradable container,
    • natural, where all three elements are employed in a cemetery dedicated to natural burial, and 
    • conservation, where a land trust entity preserves land that is in part used for burial.
  • creates, evaluates, and disseminates educational resources, including: 
    • ​blog, and newsletter,
    • peer-to-peer forums
    • burial stories,
    • curated collection of books, articles, blogs, and videos,
    • opportunities for public and professional engagement,
    • outreach tools and speaker’s bureau,
    • recommended readings, and
    • courses about operating a green cemetery and creating green funeral services.

* ​The total number of GBC-Certified cemeteries and the total number of green burial cemeteries in the United States and Canada are different. Green burial cemeteries may exist in your area that have yet to be certified by the GBC. 

What is green burial?

We define green burial as a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health, and the restoration and/or preservation of habitat. Learn more about green burial definitions...

Who are GBC providers?

Our providers are cemeterians, funeral professionals, and product sellers or manufacturers who have met rigorous qualification requirements to attain certification, ensuring that the consumer will receive goods and services that further the ethical aims of our organization. Learn more about certification...

How can we help you?

We are working hard to bridge the gap between rising interest and real know-how by researching, gathering, and developing materials that will help you in your quest, whether it is to be a better advocate, start a green burial cemetery, or find the right services just for you. Learn more about GBC Publications...
​Learn more about media resources...
​Photo credit: The Forest Conservation Burial Ground

​​Our Mission, Vision, and Values

Our mission is to inspire and advocate for environmentally sustainable, natural death care through education and certification

Our vision is to ensure universal access to information and environmentally sustainable death care
 
Our values include:
  • Respect for rituals that create meaning for both the living and the dead,
  • Honor the earth and recognize the importance of caring for her in how we bury our dead,
  • Honor that funeral and burial traditions and practices are sacred,
  • Integrity in all aspects of our operation by holding ourselves to the highest standards,
  • Sustainability both environmentally and operationally so that future generations may benefit from our work, and
  • Leadership in making certifiable, sustainable death-care practices available to all.

​Statement on Minnesota's Green Burial Moratorium – 7/10/23

Minnesota adopted a two-year moratorium on new cemeteries offering green burials, beginning 7/1/23. A related study has been ordered of the environmental and health impacts of green burials. The Green Burial Council has released this statement about the moratorium:

​"The Green Burial Council supports and advocates for the legal creation and operation of green cemeteries for all faiths and secular communities across the United States. It also understands that in some instances local public opinion may be in opposition to any cemetery, green or otherwise, and it is important to garner local support for any successful venture. But, we believe that a moratorium on the formation of new green cemeteries in all of Minnesota is ill-informed and does not benefit the citizens of this, or any other, state.

The research that has been conducted demonstrates that green burial is a natural, efficient, and safe disposition option when best practices are followed. Establishing a natural burial site can be a meaningful way for a community to connect to the environment in their care and express their belief systems. By meeting the need for a simple way to be returned to the earth, and ensuring that the land will be cherished by families for generations to come, green burial is something that all Americans, and Minnesotans, should be allowed to choose for themselves or their loved ones."

Get Involved

​Join Friends of the GBC

Donate to the GBC

Volunteer with the GBC
There are lots of paths to change the way we approach end of life and after-death decisions. Choosing unimpeded burial and the time-honored rituals that go with family-centered graveside funerals is one of them. 

Before we can make this choice, the option needs to exist in our own communities. Learning more about what green burial entails and how we can advocate effectively is a first step. To learn more...
Your partnership as a financial backer is one way that you can be part of this monumental shift towards sustainable, affordable, and meaningful burial practices. To learn more…
The Green Burial Council considers prospective volunteers on an ongoing basis and encourages individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply, including Indigenous Peoples, People of Color, LGBTQ+ community members, and anyone who considers natural burial to be of value to the community. To learn more...

​​Annual Reports

​To download the 2022 Annual report, click the image:
​To download the 2021 Annual report, click the image:
​To download the 2020 Annual report, click the image: