a rock with roses on it sits next to a tree, showing a green burial

Alternatives to Burial & Cremation

More people are exploring alternatives to traditional burial and cremation. Options that reflect personal values, environmental concerns, or a desire for something unique. This section introduces a range of choices, including alkaline hydrolysis, human composting, body donation, burial at sea, and more. Whether you’re planning ahead or just curious, these articles offer thoughtful insights to help you understand what’s possible and find the option that feels right for you.

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Alternatives to Burial & Cremation

What Are Some Alternatives to Traditional Burial and Cremation?

After Death: Other Lesser Used Disposition Options

What Is Entombment? How Does It Differ From Burial?

What is a sea burial? Interview.

What Is the Process of Promession?

Explore Films on Funerals and Green Burial

Billionaires are pouring millions into technology to cheat death

What Is a Tree Pod Burial?

Take a Closer Look at Cryonics

What Is the “Body Worlds” Exhibit?

What Is the Process Involved in Plastination?

“The Green Burial Guidebook”

What States Currently Allow Human Composting?

An interview with Recompose founder Katrina Spade about the process of natural organic reduction

What Does Human Composting Cost?

Do Bones and Teeth Decompose During the Human Composting Process?

Learn about Better Place Forests, a natural alternative to a traditional cemetery, in this article from Forbes

Can Families Participate in the Composting Process or Ceremony?

Alkaline Hydrolysis: Green Burial or Scientific Nightmare?

Is Human Composting Safe for the Environment?

What Is the Process for Arranging a Full-Body Sea Burial?

A Will for the Woods

Jeff Edwards of Edwards Funeral Service demonstrates how alkaline hydrolysis works

Does a Body Need to Be Embalmed for a Burial at Sea?

“If I Die Young” by The Band Perry: A Young Country Band Sings About Death

What Happens to a Body When Buried at Sea?

Are There Private Companies That Provide Full-Body Burial at Sea?

My Loved One Was a Veteran. Will the Navy Conduct a Burial at Sea?

Composting Bodies Is Now Legal in 14 States

What Is Open-Air Cremation and Is It Harmful to the Environment?

Learn About Natural Burial in This Video From South Carolina’s News-19 WLTX

Since When Does Cremation Not Include Fire?

What Happens to My Body When I Donate It to Science?

Water Cremation Faces Backlash

The New Immortality: Shifting Attitudes About Death, Our Bodies and the Environment

What Is Cryonics? What Is the Process for Cryopreservation?

Has Cryonics Ever Revived Anyone?

What Is the Cost of Cryonics?

Tibetan Sky Burials: The ultimate natural burial returns the dead to the universe

Mortician Caitlin Doughty Talks With the Founder of Recompose About Human Composting

Why Would Only a Person’s Brain Be Cryonically Preserved?

Why is Alkaline Hydrolysis Called Green Cremation?

Is Alkaline Hydrolysis More Environmental Than Flame-Based Cremation or Burial?

A London architectural student designed a necropolis and garden using the end products of alkaline hydrolysis

How Much Does Alkaline Hydrolysis Cost?

Sierra Club Magazine discusses the logistics of human composting

Watch a Burial at Sea Aboard the USS Enterprise

Is Alkaline Hydrolysis Legal in Every State?

How Is the Liquid Portion of a Person’s Remains Disposed of After Alkaline Hydrolysis?

A look at Zoroastrian Towers of Silence

Explore Books on Green Burial

Alternatives to Burial & Cremation Additional Resources