Life after death at Greensprings

Last weekend, as part of Earth Day, Scott and I visited the Greensprings Natural Cemetery in Newfield, NY, where the Greensprings board of directors had an open house. It was a beautiful day, and we were treated to a light lunch and hikes through the natural cemetery complete with birdwatching and information about native species from some of the knowledgeable folks who were there that day. We also learned more about natural burial and the Greensprings vision, in which I have been interested since I first heard about it a year or so ago. What will life be like after death? From what I could see, it will be incredible.

Set atop a hill, the cemetery offers views for miles. It was breathtaking, and my photos cannot do it justice. I was surprised at how much I liked it and how comfortable a place it seemed. It's a large parcel surrounded by state forest, and in addition to being a cemetery for natural burials (no embalming, no vaults, use of sustainable caskets or shrouds), it is going to be preserved as green space and a haven for wildlife.

Life on Earth will continue after my death, and by choosing natural burial, I will do my part to make it good. I will return to the earth, and above me the flora and fauna will have safe homes where they can thrive: deer will graze, birds will nest and sing, and small mammals will pick their way from here to there across my final resting place. Open space and habitat will exist there for as long as the earth turns, a place for people to connect with the natural world. The natural heritage of all peoples will be preserved, and I will become part of our magnificent and fragile planet. It's a beautiful thought!

Maybe it's morbid to think about these things at my age, but I find it to be an incredibly peaceful and comforting thought. There is no better headstone than nature herself. In that place of beauty, no words even need be inscribed: the woods and fields and sky say plainly in all seasons that here lies a person who cared.