Why Green Burial?
Georgia's First on Perpetually Conserved Land
Potts Mountain Burial Ground is proud to be Georgia’s first dedicated natural/green cemetery on perpetually conserved land. Natural burial focuses on returning the body to the earth in a simple and environmentally friendly way, fosters family involvement. Generally, it is also more affordable than traditional burial.
"Our mission is to offer an environmentally sustainable and compassionate burial option that honors a life, supports grieving families, and preserves the land as a living space."
Origins of Green Burial
The movement towards natural burial isn't new. In fact, it's as old as life itself and practiced by many world religions. What we now call Green Burial was the default in America prior to the Civil War and the invention and popularization of embalming. Before the mid-1800s, the deceased were washed and dressed by the women of the house. They were laid to rest in shrouds and handmade caskets on family property, on church grounds, or in the town commons.
Natural or ‘green’ burial provides a way to return to this simpler and more intimate process. Thus, it allows families to honor loved ones without the overwhelming details and costs of conventional burial.
Comparing Conventional and Green Burial
Hover over the diagram below to see how natural burial compares:
Conventional Burials
Typically include chemical embalming, costly caskets and headstones.
Natural Burials
Do not use metals and toxic chemicals thus protecting native plant communities and wildlife habitat and allowing for natural decomposition.
Above Ground
Gravesites are typically landscaped and manicured turf grass maintained with frequent mowing, fertilizer and pesticides. Sites feature a headstone made of granite or bronze.
Below Ground
A casket featuring finished wood and metal hardware rests inside a concrete vault buried 5 ft deep.
Above Ground
The setting appears undisturbed as geo-coordinates are used to mark gravesites which resemble the natural forest floor.
Below Ground
Biodegradable caskets made of pine or wicker, or simple shrouds are used in graves limited to 3-4 ft allowing for maximum oxygenation and natural decomposition.
Environmental Impact
Potts Mountain Burial Ground has been designed to help conserve natural resources, reduce carbon emissions, and protect worker health. Furthermore, in keeping with the ecosystem service goals of the Atlantic Coast Conservancy (ACC), it helps with restoration and preservation of habitat. There are approximately 85 hardwood-packed acres set aside on the mountain for this cost-effective, natural method of burial.
Green burials are much more environmentally friendly compared with embalming and cremation. In fact, according to Columbia University’s DeathLAB, more than 800,000 gallons of toxic embalming fluids — which include known carcinogens like formaldehyde — threaten groundwater supplies and are at risk of leaching into the soil.
Green Burial Benefits
There are three standards that define a natural burial: there can be no embalming, no vaults, and all burial containers or shrouds must be biodegradable. Therefore, choosing a green cemetery is a choice consistent with the desire to limit one’s impact on the environment.
At Potts Mountain, the land will always remain as it is now—an undeveloped natural habitat. Moreover, it will remain unchanged by the burials except for the nourishment provided by those laid to rest as they offer their final act of environmental kindness to the land.
The natural beauty and tranquility of Potts Mountain make it a place people want to visit. In fact, visitors will come not just in times of sorrow, but to return to in moments of reflection and celebration, and to embrace life-affirming activities at every point in the circle of life. At Potts Mountain Burial Ground those who support conservation will find a more meaningful burial option with the certainty that protected land is the ultimate legacy to leave for future generations.
