KUER Local News
(2002-03-20)
Alternative burials may cost thousands of dollars less than standard burials.
Just outside of Westminster, SC is the Ramsey Creek Memorial Nature Park, a 32-acre, heavily wooded natural cemetery. Kimberly Campbell, vice president of Memorial Ecosystems, Inc., says they offer the choice of a more environmentally friendly burial for people. She and her husband manage Ramsey Creek. Many people are now conscious about the environment and find the "dust to dust" approach appealing, she said. All remains buried at Ramsey Creek must be in biodegradable containers.
This is not a new way of burial ¿ the difference is using the money to create endowments and funds to save and protect land and help keep it in its natural state, she said.
Oftentimes, an alternative burial is less expensive than the standard burial. The national average for a funeral and burial is about $7,500. Depending on the choice of location, burial at Ramsey Creek costs from $2,200 ¿ 4,000. Also, families have the opportunity to be more involved in cases of alternative burial, such as participating in gravesite preparation.
"A lot of people see contemporary cemeteries as a waste of space. They don't really provide a good wildlife habitat. They don't have a variety of uses ¿ they basically are just places for the dead to be buried, said Campbell." "One of the things that we try to do with our preserves is that we a whole educational packet that goes with it. We do complete biological surveys of the area to find out what the plants are that are there, the trees, what kind geological structures are there. We do surveys of the creek. And all of this information we have stored so that when people come to the preserve, they can find out about it." Don Brawley, president of Eternal Reefs in Decatur, GA, a company that incorporates cremated remains into artificial reefs, said families feel good about what they are doing because it is something good for the world in general.
In cooperation with McAllister & Smith funeral home of Charleston, Eternal Reefs created a community reef off the coast of Charleston in October consisting of close to 30 reef modules.
"We say a natural synergy of how we could work together and build some reefs and do some good things for the people of Charleston and the people of South Carolina, Brawley said. The artificial reefs help South Carolina's ocean environment by providing a home to juvenile fish, barnacles and sponges. Brawley said that because of many people's affinity for the ocean, Eternal Reefs has been well received in South Carolina.
"This is like a whole new twist on burial at sea. This is really giving the families a place to go, but it is doing something positive for the environment. It's not a cemetery. The best feelings you get when you visit a cemetery are sober ones. Well, think about going down and diving on a reef ¿ all the life that's there. You're going to have a very different feeling," Brawley said.
Campbell said she would like for there to be a number of sites similar to Ramsey Creek around the country. There are already plans to open similar sites in Florida, Oregon, New York, California, and Washington.
She said it is important for people to know what options are available so that they are able to make an informed choice about what kind of burial they want.
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