Welcome to
Lotus and Lavender Burial
The Seacoast’s Green Burial Cemetery
Welcome to Lotus and Lavender Burial
Lotus and Lavender Burial is a green burial cemetery serving coastal New Hampshire and Southern Maine. Everything put into the ground will be easily biodegradable and we will partner with local artisans for simple pine coffins, wool burial shrouds, and wicker caskets. The graves can be marked with native stones or plantings and live and dried flowers will be available for services. The land will forever be accessible to visit as a place of remembrance and reminder of the interconnectedness of life.
What is green burial?
For most of human existence, bodies were buried in the ground to decompose after death. As humans tend to do, we’ve evolved this process to become complicated, toxic and expensive. What is now being called green burial is a return to the traditional practice of simply burying a body in the ground and not impeding the natural decomposition process. This method allows the body to nourish the environment while creating the opportunity for a beautiful farewell and final resting place in nature.
Some Criteria and Characteristics of Green Burial Cemeteries:
Caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources
Reduction of carbon emissions
Protection of funeral home and cemetery worker health
Foregoes toxic embalming
Does away with vaults
Chooses biodegradable containers, caskets, or shrouds
Discontinues herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers
“Bill’s green burial was the only funeral I have ever been to that made me feel good, instead of awful. It felt hopeful, not sad.”
- Perry King
How does this compare to other options?
Conventional Burial
What Americans put in the ground each year:
20 million board feet of wood - often exotic wood from the rainforest
17,000 tons of copper and bronze
4.3 million gallons of embalming fluid
64,500 tons of steel - often imported
1.6 million tons of reinforced concrete - roughly 1-2 tons per grave
Cremation
Carbon footprint equivalent to a 500 mile car ride/person
Mercury particulate emissions into the air and waterways
Ashes are highly basic and harmful to plants
Health risks
Funeral home and cemetery workers are routinely exposed to chemicals known to cause cancer and neurological diseases.
Embalmers have 13x higher risk of early death, an 8x higher risk of leukemia, and a 3 times higher risk of ALS
Groundskeepers are more than twice as likely to develop COPD
Sources: Green Burial Council and hyperlinks
What else is special about green burial?
“Being pro-green burial doesn’t make anyone anti-funeral or anti-cremation. Above all, we’re for having the ability to choose and are working to fill a gap that Seacoast families have been missing for years.” - Hanna Goffinet, Funeral Director, Dover, NH
Sequesters 25lbs of carbon
Allows our final choice to honor and nourish the environment - “return to nature” - “ashes to ashes”
More room for closure through direct involvement
Conserves land from development
Our molecules are able to return to nature to be recycled, a natural decomposition process that’s vital to our planet’s functioning
Gives our loved ones a beautiful farewell in nature and final resting in a place they may be more comfortable spending time afterwards
From our founder, Sarah:
“I treasure existing cemeteries and appreciate the creativity and flexibility that cremation provides.”
“I dream of a future where existing cemeteries are honored and beautifully maintained. Where cremation is proudly chosen when it’s the right fit.”
“And where new cemeteries are integrated with parks, trail systems or conservation land for more sustainable land use and to enhance communities with more vibrant natural spaces to enjoy.”
“Where an environmentally sustainable option becomes widely available and the impact of our current practices become common knowledge, allowing more informed decisions.”
What’s next?
There are currently 420+ green burial cemeteries in the US. We’re working hard to make this option available in the Seacoast but we can’t accomplish this alone! Reach out to me (Sarah) with how you’d like to get involved and join the newsletter to stay in the loop. We’re on the lookout for co-creators and collaborations around land. Reach out and let’s see what’s possible!