Dignity Memorial® Opens First Green Burial Cemetery in Seattle Area
October 05 2016 - 4:31PM
Dignity Memorial®, North America’s largest provider of funeral and
cemetery services, has officially opened a Green Burial Council
(GBC) certified cemetery park at Cedar Lawns Funeral Home and
Memorial Park in Redmond, Wash.
Cedar Lawns has dedicated approximately one acre
next to a landscaped garden for green burials on its 16-acre
grounds. Green, or natural burials, reduce environmental impact
through the use of nontoxic and biodegradable materials, such as
GBC-approved caskets, burial shrouds and embalming fluids. Cedar
Lawns is the first GBC-certified green burial cemetery in the
Seattle metropolitan area.
“Since we opened our green burial park in July,
we’re seeing more people than expected choosing the green burial
option when purchasing a preneed plan,” said Sally Estoy, general
manager of Cedar Lawns. “Client families purchasing the plots
love the idea of a more natural, earth-friendly burial.”
Cedar Lawns, located at 7200 180th Ave NE in
Redmond, is strictly following the criteria developed by the GBC.
In addition to the use of GBC-approved materials, the GBC prohibits
the use of vaults, vault lids, concrete boxes, slabs or partitioned
liners in the burial plot. The green burial park at Cedar Lawns
offers both traditional plots and smaller spaces for urns.
“We are pleased that Dignity Memorial chose to
provide green burials as an option at Cedar Lawns Memorial Park,”
said Kate Kalanick, executive director for the GBC. “Going through
our rigorous certification process requires cemetery operators to
agree to a level of transparency, accountability and third-party
oversight that entails a true commitment to protecting the
environment, and Cedar Lawns embraced it from the beginning.”
In addition to following the guidelines set up
by the GBC for locations offering green as well as traditional
burials, Cedar Lawns will use locally-sourced stones and boulders
inscribed with the decedent’s name rather than traditional granite
markers or monuments. Landscaping and grounds maintenance for this
portion of the cemetery will also be minimal, in keeping with the
plan to preserve the naturalistic environment.
About Cedar Lawns Funeral Home and
Memorial ParkCedar Lawns Funeral Home and Memorial Park is
a proud Dignity Memorial® provider in Redmond, Wash. The Dignity
Memorial network of more than 2,000 funeral, cremation and cemetery
service providers is North America’s most trusted resource for
funeral and memorialization services. Dignity Memorial providers
offer an unmatched combination of products and locations serving
families with care, integrity, respect and service excellence to
celebrate a life like no other. For more information, visit
http://www.dignitymemorial.com/cedar-lawns-funeral-home.
About the Green Burial
CouncilThe Green Burial Council
is the environmental certification organization setting
the standard for green burial in North America. We offer
environmental certificates for funeral homes, cemeteries
and product manufacturers. GBC certification allows consumers to be
able to distinguish between the three levels of green burial ground
and understand that each has a different set of standards. It
requires cemetery operators commit to a certain degree of
transparency, accountability and third party oversight. And it
prevents future owners from going back on whatever ecological or
aesthetic promises have been made in the past — from limitations on
burial density that protect a local ecosystem to prohibitions
against the use of monuments that would negatively impact a
viewshed. For more information, visit
https://greenburialcouncil.org/.
Contact:
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713-525-5235
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