Green burial isn’t new, but the topic is experiencing a resurgence in popularity in the 828. Just last month, Warren Wilson College environmental education professor Mallory McDuff released Our Last Best Act: Planning for the End of Our Lives to Protect the People and Places We Love, which examines the growing diversity of end-of-life choices in WNC.
In the book, McDuff details her experiences with her parents’ death, and speaks openly about planning her own natural burial. Green (or natural) burials are certified by the Green Burial Council, a nonprofit organization that has worked to establish standards for funeral homes + cemeteries.
In the Asheville area, there are three GBC-certified burial sites: Green Hills Cemetery in Asheville, Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Candler, and Carolina Memorial Sanctuary in Mills River.
Wanna be more intentional about interment? Listen to Mallory McDuff discuss natural burial in WNC — tune in to the Jan. 12 episode of Slumber Party on Asheville FM 103.3 featuring AVLtoday alum + 6AM City superstar Ali McGhee.
