Here is how you can plan for a green burial

New Brunswickers who pursue an environmentally friendly life now have the option to lookinto a green death as well.

Those interested in doing something different with their earthly bodies after death can attend a meeting hosted by CocagneSustainable Development Group. It's an event being held to get people thinking about lessening their impact on the environment after death.

Wiebke Tinney, who is the co-ordinator of the event, said the idea is to provide some basic information about green funerals and to get people talking.

• Cocagne environmental group looking for green burials

"For a lot of people the end of life and death, it's really connected with your values, so if people have really green values I would say, they really want a green option."

A green burial is described as the return of a body to the Earth as simply as possible.

Tinney said the group compiled information into a report called, Green Funerals and Green Burial Grounds. It contains information about green cemeteries in New Brunswick, of which Tinney said there are currently none.

But the report also outlines how to make death a more environmentally friendly event and what is possible under New Brunswick laws and regulations.

"Anything which goes in the direction of less toxins in the soil, and for the family to play a bigger role and to choose material that is compostable."

Better options than cremation

Tinney said while cremation has grown in popularity in Canada, it isn't the most environmentally friendly way to go.

"It depends on the filter, you're burning something, you can be polluting of course."

Tinney also has plans forher body after death.

"I don't want to be embalmed or burned, I find it unnecessary," she said.

"I think the simplest could be just to be yourself and go in the ground and be yourself again."

She developed her plan with her husband at an end of life workshop facilitated by Denise LeBlanc, who is an endoflife educator

"I help people contemplate the end of their life, to start thinking, 'we're going to die.'"

Get ready now

"You do this when you're healthy," she said. "When you're well it's not about thinking that you're going to die next week, it's about getting ready now."

LeBlanc said before taking a courseto become an end of life educator she was interested in death and volunteered with palliative care services. From her small, sunny home in Memramcook, where she hopes to die, she describes her internment plans.

"The funeral director has agreed to come to my house take care of my body the natural way and then we keep it iced, on dry ice for a few days, you know maximum three days and then, back to the Earth."

Placed in a simple pine box made by Fiddlehead caskets, LeBlanc will be buried just metres from her home in a cemetery where her ancestors rest.

She said local funeral director, Serge Dupuis, was open to doing things a different way.

Dupuisis the third generation to run the funeral home and said green burials are new to him, but he's happy to work with LeBlanc's plan.

"When she said that's what she wanted, well I said, 'I'm going to find out more details and see what I can do.'" said Dupuis.

Dupuis andLeBlanc both plan to attend the meeting on Feb. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at theCentre 50 de Cocagnehosted byWiebkeTinney of theCocagneSustainable Development Group.