Carpenter Creek Green Burial Ground

to be developed by the Carpenter Creek Last Wishes Society

In September 2020, a resident of our area came forward to offer a piece of land for the future Green Burial Ground.  We are extremely grateful that this land has been offered.  However, because of necessary legal arrangements including subdivision of the land, it may take a couple of years before this is all put in place.

Carpenter Creek Green Burial Ground is dedicated to creating a peaceful, reflective, natural green burial ground integrated into the surrounding ecology of the north Slocan Valley.

Green burial is intended for people who are mindful of the cyclical nature of life and prefer their body be returned to earth to decompose naturally.  In this way burials contribute to new life on earth and minimize the impact on the local and global environment.

Green burial provides an environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional burial or cremation.  Green burial avoids the toxic residues and non-biodegradable materials used in current practices, including chemicals used in embalming fluids, materials used in most conventional caskets or cement vaults, and the carbon released from fuels during cremation.

The body may be wrapped in a shroud made of natural, biodegradable fibres and then buried directly in the ground.  Alternatively, the remains may be placed in some kind of casket, locally made of sustainable and fully biodegradable materials.

After normal settling of soil over a new grave, indigenous plants may be planted over the burial site.  These could be ground cover, shrubs and trees that would then contribute to the conservation of the local ecosystem.  Infrastructure will be minimal, with walking paths and places to sit and contemplate.

Canadian standards for green burial will be followed, as laid out by the Green Burial Society of Canada.

Considerable work and expenditure will be necessary to make this dream a reality.  Community participation is invaluable and we hope others will become involved.

Please complete our survey and, for those who can, consider making a financial contribution.

Although it is not currently possible to make a tax-deductible donation, people can still contribute to this worthwhile endeavour. There are numerous ways to do this:

• Go to the GoFundMe site (https://gf.me/u/yiz6h8):
• Send funds by e-transfer to carpentercreekgreenburial@gmail.com;
• Donate directly by making a deposit in the Green Burial bank account at the Kootenay Savings Credit Union;
• Send a designated cheque directly to the Carpenter Creek Last Wishes Society (Attention: Green Burial), Box 231, New Denver, BC V0G1S0.