Mount Zion Baptist Church pastor advocates ?green? burial option

CALHOUN ? Pastor Calvin Anderson of Mount Zion Baptist Church wants to provide the option for green or natural burial in Gordon County.

Anderson said he?s seen families struggle to pay for traditional burials, and his research led him to the new take on an old concept.

Natural burials used to be the most common form of burial in America until modern methods of embalming, steel caskets and vaults took its place in the early twentieth century. Most public cemeteries now require these burial methods to be followed for interment.

But a return to methods of the past is on the rise, according to Eddie Brannon with Max, Brannon & Sons Funeral Home, who said a 2007 AARP report showed 21 percent of Americans older than 50 would prefer an eco-friendly funeral.

?We see demand for green funerals and cremation increasing and are ready to meet the changing needs of our families,? Brannon said.

The company offers a ?Natural Funeral Package,? which consists of embalmment of the deceased with or without non-toxic chemicals, biodegradable urns and eco-friendly caskets, as well as choices for natural burial or cremation.

Thomas Funeral Home also offers natural burial at the request of the family.

?The Southeast is very traditional. Most of Gordon County is very traditional. ? Regional customs are everywhere, and green burial is not really a new concept,? said Bruce Thomas, funeral director for Thomas Funeral Home.

Anderson said he wants to educate people in Northwest Georgia that green burial is an alternative. He?s set up a website at greenburialofgordoncounty.com for people looking for more information about the practice.

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Source: http://romenews-tribune.com/bookmark/21997724

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