Green burial — also called natural burial — has become a common phrase in Canadian funeral conversations. Cemeteries advertise it. Funeral homes mention it. Magazines write about it. But the term covers a lot of ground, and not all of it is the same.
A true green burial is specific. It means no embalming chemicals. No concrete vault. No steel casket. Just a body — yours, or someone you love — wrapped in a natural shroud or laid in a simple container, placed directly into the ground, and left to become part of the land around it.
It is, in many ways, the oldest form of burial in human history. What's new is that we've had to rediscover it.
Why "Green Burial" Needs Clarification
Walk into almost any funeral home in Canada today and ask about green burial options, and you may be offered a bamboo casket, a biodegradable urn, or a promise that no embalming is required. These things are all well-intentioned. But they don't necessarily add up to what most people mean — or hope — when they say they want a green burial.
The problem is that "green burial" has become a marketing term as much as a meaningful standard. A cemetery can call itself eco-friendly while still requiring a concrete grave liner. A funeral home can offer a recycled cardboard casket while still recommending embalming for a viewing. None of these things are dishonest, exactly — but they fall well short of true natural burial.
The body, returned to the soil, through decomposition, will help create new life. That is the promise of green burial — and it only works if nothing stands in the way.
True green burial has a clear definition. It means the body is placed directly into the earth — no outer vault or burial container surrounding the casket or shroud, no synthetic materials, no chemical preservation. The grave is then restored with native plants, left to settle naturally, and allowed to become part of the living landscape.
The Four Things That Actually Matter
When evaluating whether a cemetery truly offers green burial, these are the four non-negotiables. If any one of them is missing, it isn't really green burial — it's a compromise.
1. No Embalming. Embalming uses formaldehyde and other preservative chemicals to slow decomposition. These chemicals leach into the soil over time. In a true green burial, the body is not embalmed. Refrigeration and natural preservation methods are used instead when time is needed before burial.
2. Direct Earth Burial. The body — in a shroud, a simple wooden box, or a biodegradable container — is placed directly into the ground. No concrete vault. No metal grave liner. Nothing between the body and the earth that would slow or prevent natural decomposition.
3. Natural Container or Shroud. If a container is used, it must be made entirely from biodegradable materials — unfinished wood, wicker, cardboard, or natural fabric. A shroud made of linen, wool, or cotton is perhaps the purest option of all.
4. A Living Landscape. After burial, the grave is restored with locally indigenous plants, wildflowers, native grasses, and trees. There are no manicured lawns, no individual headstones, no artificial flowers. The burial ground itself becomes a living memorial.
Who Chooses Green Burial — and Why
The people drawn to green burial tend to share something in common: they've spent their lives paying attention. They understand that the choices we make — about what we eat, how we travel, what we buy — ripple outward in ways that matter. Green burial is, for many of them, simply the logical final chapter of a life lived with that kind of awareness.
For some, it's about the land itself. The idea that their body will nourish a tree, feed the soil, become part of a meadow that will exist long after anyone who knew them is also gone — that's not a morbid thought. It's a beautiful one.
For others, it's about refusing the industrial machinery of conventional burial. The embalming fluids, the steel and concrete, the perfectly manicured cemetery lawn maintained with pesticides and gasoline — none of it sits right with someone who has spent decades trying to reduce their footprint. Green burial is the alternative they've been looking for.
Where True Green Burial Exists in Canada
The honest answer is: in more places than there used to be, but still far fewer than the demand warrants. Across Canada, fewer than three dozen cemeteries currently offer true natural burial — and many of those are dedicated sections within larger conventional cemeteries rather than fully natural burial grounds.
British Columbia leads the country in availability, followed by Ontario. Alberta and the Maritimes have a handful of sites. Manitoba, Quebec, and New Brunswick have one or two each. Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador have none yet.
This directory exists to help you find the sites that are real. Each listing represents a cemetery that meets the four standards above — direct earth burial in a shroud or simple biodegradable container, with no concrete vault required.
Find a true green burial site near you.
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