This story first appeared on the Substack blog SRI-ously Speaking

Please excuse my inquisitive, yet sometimes bizarrely morbid, mind. I rarely remember my dreams, but I get a general recollection of what they were about based on my first Google search of the day. Lately, they’ve been a bit…odd:

• “How many vacant grave sites are left at Arlington National Cemetery?”
• “Is there anywhere where burial space has run out?”
• “Are natural burials legal in the United States?”

Don’t worry, people — I’m not obsessed with this topic by any means. The other day, I happened to read a fascinating story about Loop Biotech — a company based in Delft, Netherlands, that develops sustainable funeral solutions made from mycelium (the root network of mushrooms).

Three weeks ago, a man in Maine became the first in North America to be buried in one of Loop’s mushroom caskets. The company has been producing these items since 2021 and has facilitated more than 2,500 burials across Europe; however, this was the first one that Loop has managed in North America. Really? In 2025?

What is a ‘green burial’?

A “green burial” or a “natural/eco burial” is a method that emphasizes minimal environmental impact and the natural (as possible) composition of the body. This means no embalming, no vaults or metal or hardwood caskets — everything is meant to return the human body to the earth naturally.

There are a few additional noteworthy benefits outside of the environmental impact, such as lower costs overall, more money left to loved ones and charities. The cons are a bit of a toss-up, but generally include things like limited availability, lack of permanent grave markers, cultural and religious considerations, slower decomposition and a need for a faster burial.

This diagram from the Green Burial Council gives an excellent comparison of a conventional versus a natural burial:

Dying ain’t cheap

I’ve read a bit about natural or green burials before, but this article on Loop’s recent innovation stood out because the company literally markets its products as means for humans to become the “food” for the fungus, moss and trees — their slogan is “let’s enrich nature,” and not something the other way around.

To many Europeans, I can kind of understand why this would be appealing. A couple of years ago, my mother-in-law in Germany died unexpectedly, and I discovered how unbelievably expensive funerals and burials can be on the other side of the ocean.

While a typical funeral and burial in the U.S. ranges from $6,000 to $12,000, depending on location and services requested, in Germany, a full-blown funeral and burial can cost upwards of $34,000! If you wanted a simple, anonymous cremation with your ashes intermixed with those of other people, that would set your family back about $2,300: that’s the cheapest option and far from ideal.

Why is death in Europe so expensive? Well, to answer one of my weird-dream-questions from above, several areas in Europe have essentially run out of burial space; at the same time, aging populations have raised the demand for the short supply.

As such, countries like the UK and Germany have started to reuse burial plots designated for families — no joke, there are people whose job is to go around and check the dates of the latest death on grave sites. If there are no mourners who are likely living, the entire gravesite is emptied and it’s resold or leased out by another family for several generations (grave “flipping” if you will).

It is why many Europeans prefer a burial where they “become one with nature” over being stacked like sardines in stone plots for only a few generations.

Now, this is a bit of a harder sell in the United States since it is unlikely to run out of viable burial land anytime soon. Unless, of course, you or your loved one has their heart set on being buried somewhere exclusive, like Arlington National Cemetery.

Out of curiosity, I checked to see that Arlington is expected to reach full capacity by the year 2041 (this is without any changes made to its eligibility criteria). If they were to change their requirements, they might be able to build new graves until 2060 — the point is that in my lifetime, Arlington will likely reach capacity.

The last financial plan

“In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
Benjamin Franklin, 1789

I share all of this information because I work primarily with financial advisors and wealth managers whose job revolves around facilitating the long-term financial planning of their clients, specifically with a focus on sustainability.

Not all financial advisors are Certified Financial Planners (CFP) professionals, so not all of them will have studied Franklin’s two life certainties: taxes and death (or estate planning to put it nicely). However, law degree or not, it is their fiduciary duty to convey to their clients that dying without an estate plan is not an option.

Everyone will die someday — this is a fact. Clients can either leave a financial mess for their loved ones, or they can leave more money to those they care about by massively cutting down funeral/burial expenses — AND if you are working with clients who care about sustainability, they can potentially save even more by considering green options. I’ll explain…

Final expenses, sustainable choices

Choice Mutual, an insurance agency licensed in all 50 states, published some useful information on the cost breakdown of all types of funerals and burials. Funeralocity (my goodness, these names), defines the differences between “direct” and “traditional” burials and cremations in this way (below) contrasted with a green burial:

According to data from the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the average cost of a traditional funeral burial service with a viewing is $8,300 to $9,995 (if a vault is included). The average price of a direct burial is $5,114, but the average cost of a green burial is almost half of that at $2,250.

For the average family, that’s around $7,750 in savings on funeral costs (and be sure to double that for a couple).

Now, if you’re thinking direct cremation is the cheapest option, so that’s the way to go, it depends on where you live, and it’s pretty surprising in which states cremations are more expensive. This data from the NFDA and Funeralocity show the average cost breakdown of traditional cremations by state (direct cremations are also listed on the interactive map provided by Choice Mutual in case you’d like to compare), however the two prices tend to move together.

Can this be realistically done in [my state]?

To answer my second question, “Are green burials legal in the United States?”, the answer is yes. They are legal in all 50 states, but there are specific regulations and requirements that can vary from state to state, and sometimes even by municipality.

This is why if your client has an interest in a green burial, it is important that they disclose where they would like to be laid to rest so they can be put in contact with someone who understands the specific rules for that area. Individual cemeteries and municipalities may have their own rules regarding burial depth, marker types, and other important details.

Some of the broader state-specific requirements about natural or green burials can be found on the Return Home website and a Greener Funder website, along with additional resources on regulations and requirements.

Talking green burial with clients

The Green Burial Council has a variety of resources if you or your clients need help getting started on that conversation. Many life insurance companies and even the American Legion have started to provide resources regarding green burials. I’m by no means an expert on this topic, but in my research for this piece, here are some of the more interesting green burial companies I discovered:

• Loop Biotech — mentioned at the start, they are based in the Netherlands but have since made their products accessible in North America. Technically, they are not a funeral home or service provider but rather manufacture mycelium coffins and urns.
• Earth — Offers a variety of carbon-neutral alternatives to cremation, including soil transformation and aquamation.
• Better Place Forests — Companies like this will integrate some of the ashes into the soil near a dedicated tree you select in advance. They’ll also place a permanent marker on or near the tree to signify who lies there.
• Eternal Reefs — For those clients with a love of the ocean, companies like Eternal Reefs use some ashes when they construct artificial reef systems. Over time, these attract and grow into a full-blown coral reef.
• Wildflower Funeral Concepts — A full-service funeral home that specializes in ecologically sound options, which include aquamation, terramation, and eco-friendly cremation.

Final ‘final’ thoughts

“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Genesis 3:19

Every Ash Wednesday, millions of Catholics, such as myself, begin the season of Lent with a cross drawn from the ashes of burnt palm trees on our foreheads, meant to serve as a stark reminder of our own mortality: “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Philosophically, I can see how it is tempting to try and circumvent the illusion of death as much as possible by forever “resting” frozen in time in a fancy box that is padded for comfort (for some weird reason). One doesn’t want to imagine turning to dust anytime soon.

On the other hand, those who choose the route of cremation may do so because it is the cheaper alternative but it is also a lightspeed jump ahead into the inevitable future, just skipping the part where the body food for mushrooms and things in the soil.

However, there is a middle ground that is better for your financial legacy and better for the environment. In a slightly morbid way, I find it comforting that there is still the possibility to “keep giving to the world” a little while longer before returning to dust.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is purely for informational and educational purposes only and is not an endorsement of any of the aforementioned companies, their products or services. Please conduct your own research before making any decisions or making any particular recommendations to your clients. It should go without saying, but not every organization is a reputable one.

This article only mentions burials and cremations, when there are also other options available that can be helpful to humanity and the environment: donating your body to science, for example. But again, do your research! Not every organization that engages in this practice is a reputable one.

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