Frequently Asked Questions

How do the environmental organizations benefit from Ashes2Ashes and Dust2Dust pre-need burial plans?
Green Graves directs a portion of your monthly payment to them until the plan is paid in full. This consistent flow of revenue helps them advance their mission.

Can I select an environmental organization that is not a current environmental partner?
You may select any environmental organization in our current list of partners. You may also forward your preferred organization to us through Contact Us options and Green Graves will work towards adding them to our list of partners.

If I die in another state, will the funeral home listed in my plan honor my preneed?
Yes, but only if your survivors call the funeral home listed in the plan first. In the case of Ashes2Ashes the funeral listed in your plan will arrange for your remains to be cremated. In the case of Dust2Dust the funeral home listed in your plan will contact a funeral home in the state where death occurred and arrange for your remains to be placed in a sealed biodegradable coffin and transported across state lines to a place of interment. Your estate or family will be charged for services not covered under your preneed plan such as additional transportation costs.

What is a Green Tag?
A "green tag" is a carbon emission offset which countervails polluting activity such as cremation. Green Graves will purchase "green tags" on your behalf, which offsets the CO2 emissions placed into the atmosphere by your cremation. The average cremation uses 165 kilowatt hours of carbon based energy and deposits 400 pounds of carbon into the atmosphere. One Green Graves "green tag" puts 1000 kilowatt hours of "green" energy onto the grid in the form of wind or solar energy. Your "green tag" covers the equivalent of 3.5 cremations!

Will burying people without vaults and air-tight caskets hurt water quality?
The most common water pollutants come from sediment, intensive agriculture and urbanization, toxic chemicals and pathogens (primarily from improperly managed sewage and livestock). (Source: Iowa Public Television, Explore More Series) Modern cemeteries use enormous amounts of water and fertilizers not to mention the thousands of gallons of toxic embalming chemicals and metal caskets sprayed with toxic resins that eventually make their way into the water table. Green Graves will return the area to a naturally vegetative state thereby improving nearby waterways and improving the area's bio-diversity.

Will natural burials attract animals that could dig up the bodies?
Nature preserve cemeteries throughout the United States have not experienced animals disturbing graves in any way. Pioneers buried in cemeteries near wilderness areas did not experience grave disturbances from animals. This is not an issue.

How can we be sure that the grave site will be protected from getting “overgrown”?
As a natural green space, native grasses and trees will be allowed to grow, unfettered as nature intended. Green Graves will keep trails and public spaces open and maintain the cemetery to guard against invasive species and the circumstances associated with natural disasters. This care is funded by a legally required permanent endowment fund.

How can you keep track of where people are buried? Will people be able to find family burial sites?
A GPS coordinate will be given to your survivors and will be recorded on paper and in our digital database. You may use a stone marker as long as it is natural to the area.

May we bury more than one person in the same grave space?
Yes, you may, after twenty years. Our “stacking” policy allows you to reduce the cost of your next burial, reuse the burial plot and recycle the value of the grave.

Can I be buried in the cemetery if I have a medical prosthesis?
While we want as little non-biodegradable material buried as possible, we think that it is not practical or ecologically important to remove all dental fillings, heart valves, hips, knees, etc. Anyone who has concerns about this can contact us for a fuller explanation We do not think that it is necessary to go through the steps of removing metal components of prosthetics. It is not of any ecological significance.