The Most Popular Alternative Funeral Types In The U.S.

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Research shows Americans are willing to change their everyday lives to become greener — but what about their deaths?

The two traditional funeral types, casketed burial and cremation, leave a significant carbon footprint. Casketed burials releases approximately 800,000 gallons of toxic embalming chemicals into the ground every year, with caskets requiring several million tons of hardwood. Meanwhile, cremations emit around 360,000 metric tons of CO₂annually and toxic gasses such as mercury into the atmosphere.

A Google Trends analysis looked at the popularity of each funeral practice in the United States nationally and state-by-state over the last five years (research conducted on October 15, 2024). Nationally, the U.S. states that expressed the highest interest in alternative funerals are Vermont, Maine, Oregon, Colorado, and the District of Columbia. Those states are generally considered among the greenest in the country.

Green Burial

Green or natural burial is the most popular alternative funeral type in 40 states (78% of all U.S.). They are particularly popular in the northeast, with a relatively higher volume of search queries in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin.

A green or natural burial typically refers to the removal of embalming chemicals from the burial process and the use of biodegradable containers. Both the body and the container naturally decompose in the following weeks — feeding the surrounding soil and flora.

The Green Burial Council estimates that green burials emit 10 times less CO₂ than traditional vault burials. At around $2,000, a green burial is also much cheaper than a traditional burial (on average $7,000–8,000) thanks to the removal of chemicals and hardwood caskets and vaults. It also involves limited maintenance costs.

Alkaline Hydrolysis (Aquamation)

Alkaline hydrolysis is the most popular body disposal method in 11 states (22% of all U.S.). The top three states for this search query are located in the South East and Central parts of the U.S.: Alabama, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.

Aquamation or alkaline hydrolysis refers to a process in which the body is immersed in a heated alkaline water solution at high pressure. The resulting ashes are given to the family to be kept or scattered.

Aquamation is more environmentally friendly than its counterpart — a traditional cremation. The aquamation process consumes 90% less energy and only has a tenth of the carbon footprint without releasing any mercury. However, it involves high water usage and is a bit more costly at $3,000.

Human Composting

Human composting generates higher interest in the states of Washington, Wyoming, and Oregon — making it the most geographically diverse search query. However, it falls short of being the most popular alternative funeral type in any U.S. state.

Human composting, also known as natural organic reduction, refers to the practice of transforming human remains into compost. The body is placed into a container with organic materials and decomposes in the following weeks. The compost can then be spread onto the soil to nourish the plants above it.

Unlike a green burial, human composting doesn’t involve any land use or require as much water as an aquamation. It also has a minimal carbon footprint, making it a solid contender for the most environmentally friendly type of alternative funerals. However, human composting is the most expensive practice with estimated costs of up to $7,000.

Other Alternative Burial Methods

Three other methods are all niche options and generally gather little interest: mushroom suit, memorial reef and tree burial. Hardly any companies offer mushroom suits and memorial reefs, while tree pod burials are still in the experimental stage.

Those types of funerals are relatively more popular in Florida — where one of the largest memorial reefs in the world is located, which may explain the results — and also Delaware, and Kentucky

A mushroom suit is a garment composed of mushroom spores that break down and digest the body. This method intends to decrease the amount of toxic chemicals released by decomposing human tissue into the soil.

Memorial reefs refer to the creation of artificial reefs through ashes placed in concrete containers. They aim to boost marine biodiversity.

Tree burials involve placing human remains, either cremated ashes or a whole body, into a pod beneath a tree to help nourish it. Body-containing pods are still being conceptualized, and cremation pods rely on traditional cremation.

Resources

1. Survey shows households are willing to shift to greener lifestyles but that cost and convenience are key.
2. Green burial.
3. National Geographic. The environmental toll of cremating the dead.
4. 2024 survey results: alternative burial options & preferences across America.

Reprinted with permission from Healthnews.

Ariane Jugieux, Msc, is an author at Healthnews and freelance journalist covering health and wellness topics.

Find holistic Stress Reduction in the Spirit of Change online Alternative Health Directory.

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