The four foundational tenets of green burial: no embalming, biodegradable containers, no concrete vaults, and outdoor services in a natural setting. In this episode of The Care Table podcast, Amy Huddleston talks with Sam Bartram, green burial coordinator at Kokosing Nature Preserve, about what conservation burial involves and how families can make end-of-life choices that reflect their values. They cover green burial practices, family participation, costs, planning ahead, and how to assess whether a cemetery’s “green” claims are genuine. Chapters: 00:00 Meet Sam Bartram and Kokosing Nature Preserve 04:40 A cemetery designed first as a nature preserve 08:37 The four foundational practices of green burial 10:25 Environmental values, choice, and saying goodbye on your terms 14:18 How families participate and personalize the service 19:35 Memorial stones, trees, wildflowers, and scattering 22:25 Why pre-planning helps families 26:59 Kokosing burial and scattering costs 32:08 How embalming and conventional funeral practices took hold 39:33 Greenwashing: questions to ask before choosing a cemetery 44:00 Where to start exploring green burial 47:02 Finding the courage to talk about death and wishes Takeaways: - The four principles Sam outlines about green burials are no embalming, biodegradable burial containers, no concrete vaults, and burial services held outdoors in the natural prairie. - Families can take part in lowering and covering the grave, bring biodegradable mementos, and personalize services with music, notes, flowers, or garden starts. - Kokosing offers memorial stones, native Ohio trees, and approved wildflowers as ways to mark burial lots; cremated remains may also be scattered, with a GPS coordinate provided. - Bartram encourages pre-planning and says Ohio families have 48 hours from death to burial, embalming, refrigeration, or cremation; she notes refrigeration may be needed when families choose not to embalm. - At Kokosing, burial lots require a $2,500 tax-deductible donation to the land trust plus $2,500 for a prairie lot or $3,000 for a woodland lot; scattering costs $500, according to Bartram. - Bartram places the rise of embalming in the Civil War era and discusses how changing customs and funeral-industry practices shaped modern burial expectations. - To evaluate green-burial claims, Bartram recommends visiting the cemetery, asking about plot size and burial density, and understanding what practices are permitted. Products/Books/Resources: Green Burial Council - https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/ Conservation Burial Alliance - https://www.conservationburialalliance.org/ The Order of the Good Death - https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/ Kokosing Nature Preserve - https://www.kenyon.edu/kokosing-nature-preserve/ Support The Care Table Podcast: Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCareTable Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecaretable/ Visit us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Care-Table/61580615603797/ Our website: https://www.thecaretable.com/ Email us: info@thecaretable.com Please rate and review us so we know if we’re helping you!
