When someone dies, you have options for what to do with the body. You can choose things like burial, cremation, or human composting. One of these options is green burial. Green burial is a type of burial where the body is buried in a biodegradable casket. The body and casket then integrate with the soil in 4-6 weeks. There are three kinds of cemeteries that offer Green burial: Natural Cemeteries, Hybrid Cemeteries, and Conservation Cemeteries. Natural Cemeteries are cemeteries that only have green burials. Hybrid Cemeteries are cemeteries that have both green burials and traditional burials/cremations. Conservation Cemeteries are like Natural Cemeteries, except they preserve the way the land in the cemetery naturally looks. The average cost for a green burial in New Jersey is between $2,000 and $5,000, which is significantly less than traditional burial and either less or the same as cremation, depending on the providers chosen.
Here is a full list of all the cemeteries that offer green burial in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Note that some cemeteries are Green Burial Certified by the Green Burial Council, meaning they have been verified by them to meet sustainability standards.
| Name of Cemetery | Town/City/Borough | State | Type | Green Burial Council Certified? | Contact |
| Hillside Cemetery | Wilton | Connecticut | Hybrid | Yes | 203-762-5591 |
| Wooster Cemetery | Danbury | Connecticut | Hybrid | Yes | 203-748-8529 |
| Grove Cemetery | Naugatuck | Connecticut | Hybrid | Yes | 203-729-1297 |
| Historic Goshen Church and Cemetery | Goshen | New Jersey | Hybrid | No | 609-628-2297 |
| Steelmantown Cemetery | Woodbine | New Jersey | Conservation | No | 609-628-2297 |
| St. Mary’s Cemetery | Saddlebrook | New Jersey | Hybrid | Yes | 201-843-7179 |
| Vail Memorial Cemetery | Parsipanny | New Jersey | Hybrid | No | 973-334-7958 |
| The Green-Wood Cemetery | Brooklyn | New York | Hybrid | No | 718-768-7300 |
| Sleepy Hollow Cemetery | Sleepy Hollow | New York | Hybrid | Yes | 914-631-0081 |
| Rhinebeck Cemetery | Rhinebeck | New York | Natural | Yes | 845-876-3961 |
| White Haven Memorial Park | Pittsford | New York | Natural | Yes | 585-586-5250 |
| Greensprings Natural Cemetery | Newfield | New York | Natural | Yes | 607-564-7577 |
| Holy Sepulchre Cemetery | Rochester | New York | Natural | Yes | 585-458-4110 |
| Ascension Garden Cemetery | Henrietta | New York | Natural | Yes | 585-697-1122 |
| Lakeside Cemetery (Forest Lawn Cemetery Group) | Hamburg | New York | Hybrid | Yes | 716-885-1600 |
| Forest Hill Cemetery (Forest Lawn Cemetery Group) | Attica | New York | Hybrid | Yes | 716-885-1600 |
| Laurel Hill East (Valley View Green) | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | Hybrid | Yes | 610-668-9900 |
| Wildwood Cemetery | Williamsport | Pennsylvania | Hybrid | Yes | 570-323-8421 |
| Wellsboro Cemetery | Wellsboro | Pennsylvania | Hybrid | Yes | 570-724-4622 |
| Paxtang Cemetery | Harrisburg | Pennsylvania | Hybrid | Yes | 717-564-2110 |
| Eplers Church Cemetery | Leesport | Pennsylvania | Hybrid | Yes | 610-926-1006 |
| Mt. Vernon Cemetery | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | Hybrid | No | 610-628-2297 |
| Moravian High Acres Cemetery | Canadensis (Poconos) | Pennsylvania | Hybrid | No | 609-628-2297 |
There are pros and cons of every burial method, including green burial.
Pros:
- Green burial is excellent for the environment, with zero carbon emissions and pollution.
- It’s cheaper than traditional burial and cremation.
- It’s compatible with a traditional funeral.
Cons:
- In most places worldwide it’s not widely available. In New Jersey for example, only six cemeteries offer green burial.
- It also requires the body to be buried very quickly.
- There are also often limits from cemeteries on the type of headstone they allow, usually with Conservation Cemeteries.
Over this Spring, and possibly longer, we will be highlighting the best green burial cemeteries, caskets, funeral homes, and other products. This will be across all our outreach channels including here on the blog, our Instagram page, and email list.
If there’s anything you’d like us to discuss with green burial, leave a comment on this post or contact us here:
