Death kills?
Posted by Richard Rawlinson Back in the day, it was a given of the natural order that the decomposition of our remains made us part of the food chain. In the last few decades, the negative environmental impact of burial and cremation has become an ethical issue. Although there’s increasing scepticism towards scientific claims about […]
Lairs – time for re-evaluation?
Posted by Vale Have you ever thought about the rateable value of cemeteries and burial grounds? The Scottish Assessors Association have. They offer information about how sites and locations should be valued and have some fascinating guidance for cemeteries, churchyards, graveyards and necropolises. A guidance note advises that: The recommended rate is £110 per […]
Publishing event of the year!
The Natural Death Handbook, Fifth Edition A thoroughly updated and revised edition of the Natural Death Centre‘s celebrated handbook. Now presented alongside a new collection of essays on death, dying and funeral practices by doctors, historians, authors, poets, theologians and artists including Richard Barnett, David Jay Brown, Dr Sheila Cassidy, Charles Cowling, Bill Drummond, Stephen Grasso, […]
Read between the lines, what do you see?
From the Taranaki Daily News, New Zealand: Taranaki people say they are keen on “green burials” despite the Awanui Cemetery natural burial site sitting empty eight months after opening. The Taranaki Daily News revealed yesterday that none of the 235 plots at the Awanui Cemetery natural burial site had been sold since it opened for […]
What do you want?
James Leedam, a good friend of the Good Funeral Guide, is collecting info about what people want at funeral, how they would find out about it, and what influences their choices. As the ceo of Natural Burial Grounds, James is especially keen to find out what influences those who go green when they die. He’d very […]
ARKA funeral day this Saturday in Lewes
Bringing Death to Life – 27th August 2011 All Saints Arts and Youth Centre, Friars Walk, Lewes. Free Entry ARKA Original Funerals of Brighton opened its new office in Lansdown Place Lewes, in July this year, with the ceremonies and celebrant company, Light on Life. ARKA Original Funerals and Light on Life are recognised […]
Bill’s bones and other stories
You may have missed the comment below by Cynthia Beal on Bill Jordan’s piece about how he wants to be buried on the surface (when he dies) where he can be of most use. Read it here. Cynthia is formidably bright and enterprising, not to mention generous and kind. She lives in Oregon. At a […]
Absolute rotter
Here is the best post this blog will ever publish, so don’t glance at its length and give up. Read on! Today is all about Bill Jordan. I first heard from Bill back in December 2010. This is what he said: I am an aging reformed biologist, now more or less a writer, but more […]
Decompiculture and the Mushroom Project
“Decompiculture is the growing or culturing of decomposer organisms by humans. The term is intended to establish a contrast with the term agriculture. Agriculture encompasses the production systems based on the culture of herbaceous plants and herbivore animals. In effect, agriculture is human symbiosis with select organisms of the herb-herbivore-carnivore food chains comprising the live […]
Shovel-and-shoulder work
The words that follow are by Thomas Lynch, a hero to so many of us in the UK. (In the US there are those who reckon him paternalistic, but we don’t need to go into that. It’s complicated.) Funerals are about the living and the dead — the talk and the traffic between them … […]
