A nonprofit formed last year, Friends of Green Burial PA, aims to educate the public about the option of Green Burials, writes Richard Gaw for the Chester County Press. 

Carin Bonifacino of Toughkenamon learned about green burial in 2004.

The then-burgeoning movement encourages the alternative use of biodegradable caskets, shrouds, and urns and finding final resting places “where those who have died are laid directly into the earth, and where families are invited to participate in that process,” she said.

Bonifacino, who has been an ordained minister since 2019, educates others on this form of green burials. She recently strengthened her efforts by joining forces with Elaine Brooks and Marguerite Stabosz of Landenberg to start Friends of Green Burial PA. 

“Our mission is three-fold,” said Bonifacino. “We want to educate the public about the green burial options, through workshops and events; to create conversation and dialogue around restoring the connections between the living and the dead; and to create more access to green burial by working with cemeteries and landowners who have open space to dedicate to this option.” 

West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd in Montgomery County has a meadow that now been converted to a green cemetery.

Read more about Friends of Green Burial PA and options for green burials in the Chester County Press.