Greener Ways to the Great Beyond

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Dr. Campbell says, "My idea is that we need to link land conservation with ritual and with people in a very fundamental way. When the economy is not quite what it should be, money is a problem (for groups dedicated to land preservation), but if Mamma and Grandmamma are buried some place, you might look at it differently."

Establishing the preserve seemed simple, but it proved a daunting task, according to Kimberley Campbell. In 1992, the state cemetery board was legislatively disbanded; as a consequence, determining which authorities to contact about the project proved a challenge.

To help build the site's status as a nature preserve, an inventory of plants has been taken, and Dr. Campbell says a "site appropriate" native plant—the smooth-leafed coneflower (Echinacea laevigata) — is being planted on some of the grave sites to take advantage of the disturbed soil. Tripartite violets and the crested coral root, uncommon native plants, also have been found.

A visitor's center, staffed by Kimberley's parents, sits near the entrance, and an old chapel has been moved onto the grounds to be restored for use by people of all faiths. Life histories of those buried at the site will be archived there.

The Campbells also have provided assistance to others interested in following their example. Dr. Campbell says he is willing to work with any entity with large land holdings that might want to set up a similar preserve—complete with ethical oversights in both financial and environmental areas. "We're building a socially responsible for-profit business," he says of Memorial Ecosystems.

Of the other green burial initiatives under way in the United States, the closest to being operational is the Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve near Glendale, Florida. It is owned by brothers John and Bill Wilkerson, and now can accept burials but not yet legally charge for them. John, the family's spokesperson, says that's because he and his brother still are negotiating with the state of Florida over a $5,000 nonrefundable cemetery application fee, plus a $50,000 trust fund required to ensure maintenance of the nature preserve but which duplicates a fund to be established under Memorial Ecosystems guidelines. Until an agreement is reached, in lieu of a formal burial fee, donations were being accepted; as of early 2003, no burials had taken place.

The Glendale preserve was established, John says, because he and his brother took their father seriously when he said, "Boys, this is a beautiful piece of property. It would be a shame to turn it into a mobile-home park." The entire 350-acre farm, where the elder Wilkerson grew peanuts, corn and soybeans, and his sons now grow chufa, a specialty wildlife seed crop, will be the preserve.

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