We have heard there was one in N. Walton
Anyone familiar?A local TV station had a segment over the weekend about a "green cemetery" near Livingston, TX in the Piney Woods. Said it was one of 3 in the states.
We have heard there was one in N. Walton Anyone familiar?
We have heard there was one in N. Walton
Anyone familiar?Replies
21
SoWal Insider
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
Yes there is! It is one of the few green burial sites in the country, and a very interesting concept.
It is called the Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve and it is located in DeFuniak Springs. I have actually had occasion to talk to the owner/manager of the site about his property (not because we needed to use it yet or anything). As of late fall he had only had about 8 or 10 burials on the property. The idea behind green burial sites is to set aside large plots of land for conservation while bringing in income for expenses and further conservation.
The preserve is about 350 acres -- approximately 1/3 wetlands, 1/3 pine forest, 1/3 row-crop fields. Only 20 percent of the property will be used for burials.
It's interesting that baby boomers are reinventing everything they touch -- and the "death industry" is no exception. Burial with vault and a full funeral service may be the norm, in most (?) areas, but cremation is increasingly popular. Green burial may be desirable for some due to environmental reasons (low-impact, dust to dust and all that) and because it is very inexpensive.
Yes there is! It is one of the few green burial sites in the country, and a very interesting concept.
It is called the Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve and it is located in DeFuniak Springs. I have actually had occasion to talk to the owner/manager of the site about his property (not because we needed to use it yet or anything). As of late fall he had only had about 8 or 10 burials on the property. The idea behind green burial sites is to set aside large plots of land for conservation while bringing in income for expenses and further conservation.
The preserve is about 350 acres -- approximately 1/3 wetlands, 1/3 pine forest, 1/3 row-crop fields. Only 20 percent of the property will be used for burials.
It's interesting that baby boomers are reinventing everything they touch -- and the "death industry" is no exception. Burial with vault and a full funeral service may be the norm, in most (?) areas, but cremation is increasingly popular. Green burial may be desirable for some due to environmental reasons (low-impact, dust to dust and all that) and because it is very inexpensive.
margarita brocoliaAuthor
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
TFT - Thanks for all the info.
The one in the Piney Woods is nondenominational church related (tax purposes?) and a $300 donation for spot, family digs and buries on their own. Or $3,000 gets a third acre for one's own "family" cemetery.
No embalming allowed and only biodegradable "caskets".
Seems some interest in places for "freeze-drying" and then shaking into "dust" before burial.
Interesting concept ........
TFT - Thanks for all the info.
The one in the Piney Woods is nondenominational church related (tax purposes?) and a $300 donation for spot, family digs and buries on their own. Or $3,000 gets a third acre for one's own "family" cemetery.
No embalming allowed and only biodegradable "caskets".
Seems some interest in places for "freeze-drying" and then shaking into "dust" before burial.
Interesting concept ........SoWal Insider
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
Green burial I kind of understand. Freeze-drying though? :shock:
Seems some interest in places for "freeze-drying" and then shaking into "dust" before burial.
Green burial I kind of understand. Freeze-drying though? :shock:
Beach Fanatic
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
I have heard about the one in Glendale, though I haven't heard about burials there - just scattering of ashes.
On a macabre note, though, do be aware that deceased folks in Florida that burials are planned for are normally embalmed within 24 hours; usually 12 hours. Maybe a bit longer if an autopsy is necessary. I don't know if a family can take a body from a funeral home without embalming. There are very stringent state laws here due to - uh - heat? Bugs?
Not that y'all needed to know that, but it's handy info if you plan to spend lots of time here.
I have heard about the one in Glendale, though I haven't heard about burials there - just scattering of ashes.
On a macabre note, though, do be aware that deceased folks in Florida that burials are planned for are normally embalmed within 24 hours; usually 12 hours. Maybe a bit longer if an autopsy is necessary. I don't know if a family can take a body from a funeral home without embalming. There are very stringent state laws here due to - uh - heat? Bugs?
Not that y'all needed to know that, but it's handy info if you plan to spend lots of time here.
SoWal Insider
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
Not green burials though. No embalming at all. Pine box or blanket. I don't think they mention the bugs on their website.
I have heard about the one in Glendale, though I haven't heard about burials there - just scattering of ashes.
On a macabre note, though, do be aware that deceased folks in Florida that burials are planned for are normally embalmed within 24 hours; usually 12 hours. Maybe a bit longer if an autopsy is necessary. There are very stringent state laws here due to - uh - shall we say, heat? Bugs?
Not green burials though. No embalming at all. Pine box or blanket. I don't think they mention the bugs on their website.
Beach Fanatic
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
In that case, you have to be buried within a matter of hours. When I was preplanning a relative's funeral, I think they called that "direct burial" - you don't stop at the funeral home at all.
Of course, this is how all of our ancestors down here were laid to rest until the late '40's / early '50's...my great-grandmother sometimes helped to wash the dead and prepare them for burial (or, given the water table in Point Washington, "sinking" unless some sort of vault was used)...we were so isolated, access to a mortuary was not available. Death was just another stage of life, and the mechanics of it were generally accepted. Funny how things change...
In that case, you have to be buried within a matter of hours. When I was preplanning a relative's funeral, I think they called that "direct burial" - you don't stop at the funeral home at all.
Of course, this is how all of our ancestors down here were laid to rest until the late '40's / early '50's...my great-grandmother sometimes helped to wash the dead and prepare them for burial (or, given the water table in Point Washington, "sinking" unless some sort of vault was used)...we were so isolated, access to a mortuary was not available. Death was just another stage of life, and the mechanics of it were generally accepted. Funny how things change...
Beach Fanatic
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
From Walton Sun:
Life and death are inextricably linked. As Benjamin Franklin once said, ?Nothing is certain in life, but death and taxes.?
However, modern day Americans have managed to turn the business of death into a profit for the living.
Most estimates put funeral arrangements upwards of $6,000. According to the Wall Street Journal, for little more than a million deaths per year in the United States, the funeral industry rakes in more than $7 billion in profits.
To counteract the trend, many are turning to alternative burial methods.
Specifically, ?green burials? offer a chance for family members to be involved with the death of a loved one, while saving thousands of dollars in an eco-friendly manner. Green burials prohibit the use of embalming fluids or extravagant coffins.
Often family members are involved with the preparation of the body and laying their loved ones to rest, eliminating the need for undertakers.
?The funeral director does a great disservice. It?s much more therapeutic to be involved with the process. It gives you something to do, it gives you a purpose,? Willie von Bracht, author of ?Critical Choices,? who also builds pine caskets, said.
Von Bracht believes that people should be made aware that they have more choices when it comes to burying their loved ones.
?People think they have very little choice and take what?s offered. Part of it is the millions of dollars that cemeteries have put together that make people think that if you don?t spend the money (on a funeral), then you didn?t love them,? he said.
Montana resident Alan Rosenberg?s family recently buried his mother-in-law in a pine casket she chose from von Bracht?s shop. The family was an integral part of the burying process, even helping to close the gravesite.
?She was from the Old Country, (where) your family takes care of you in life and they take care of you in death. It was very natural and shared with an intimate setting. There was no business involved,? he said. ?It?s the way to go.?
Amidst the sprawling countryside, dotted with wetlands and open fields sits one of only five green burial grounds in the United States, the Glendale Memorial Preserve in DeFuniak Springs.
Chufa farmers by trade, the Wilkerson brothers never intended for their parents? land to become an ecologically sound burial ground, it was a matter of saving their 350-acre family farm from development.
However, Bill and John found that was easier said than done. With taxes and rising property values, ?it?s virtually impossible,? John said.
The pair spent more than three years researching ways to preserve their parent?s land, and then they came across information about a green burial place in North Carolina.
?It was divine intervention,? John said. ?Education is the only way you can beat the property tax man.?
With some bureaucratic help, in 2002, they turned their property into a nonprofit green cemetery. To accomplish this, they abdicated the right to sell their land. However, the pair can live on the land with their families for the rest of their lives.
Florida is one of the only states, ?where you don?t have to go through the system,? John said.
According to the brothers, their father instilled a love for the land in them, but they ?were never much into that tree hugging, fern sniffing mode,? John said. However, the pair opposes the commercialization of the funeral process.
?(Undertakers) have removed modern American?s ability to deal with death. There?s nothing traditional about what they do. People think it?s easier to write a check,? John said.
Glendale offers free plots, an outdoor chapel and a $1,000 fee for opening and closing the grave space. In addition, the brothers hand make pine coffins in their onsite lumber mill, beginning at $400.
The Wilkerson?s said they receive many accolades for the alternative option they?ve afforded families.
?People are grateful, we?ve allowed them to have that opportunity,? Bill said.
?It?s a wonderful feeling,? John said.
From Walton Sun:
Life and death are inextricably linked. As Benjamin Franklin once said, ?Nothing is certain in life, but death and taxes.?
However, modern day Americans have managed to turn the business of death into a profit for the living.
Most estimates put funeral arrangements upwards of $6,000. According to the Wall Street Journal, for little more than a million deaths per year in the United States, the funeral industry rakes in more than $7 billion in profits.
To counteract the trend, many are turning to alternative burial methods.
Specifically, ?green burials? offer a chance for family members to be involved with the death of a loved one, while saving thousands of dollars in an eco-friendly manner. Green burials prohibit the use of embalming fluids or extravagant coffins.
Often family members are involved with the preparation of the body and laying their loved ones to rest, eliminating the need for undertakers.
?The funeral director does a great disservice. It?s much more therapeutic to be involved with the process. It gives you something to do, it gives you a purpose,? Willie von Bracht, author of ?Critical Choices,? who also builds pine caskets, said.
Von Bracht believes that people should be made aware that they have more choices when it comes to burying their loved ones.
?People think they have very little choice and take what?s offered. Part of it is the millions of dollars that cemeteries have put together that make people think that if you don?t spend the money (on a funeral), then you didn?t love them,? he said.
Montana resident Alan Rosenberg?s family recently buried his mother-in-law in a pine casket she chose from von Bracht?s shop. The family was an integral part of the burying process, even helping to close the gravesite.
?She was from the Old Country, (where) your family takes care of you in life and they take care of you in death. It was very natural and shared with an intimate setting. There was no business involved,? he said. ?It?s the way to go.?
Amidst the sprawling countryside, dotted with wetlands and open fields sits one of only five green burial grounds in the United States, the Glendale Memorial Preserve in DeFuniak Springs.
Chufa farmers by trade, the Wilkerson brothers never intended for their parents? land to become an ecologically sound burial ground, it was a matter of saving their 350-acre family farm from development.
However, Bill and John found that was easier said than done. With taxes and rising property values, ?it?s virtually impossible,? John said.
The pair spent more than three years researching ways to preserve their parent?s land, and then they came across information about a green burial place in North Carolina.
?It was divine intervention,? John said. ?Education is the only way you can beat the property tax man.?
With some bureaucratic help, in 2002, they turned their property into a nonprofit green cemetery. To accomplish this, they abdicated the right to sell their land. However, the pair can live on the land with their families for the rest of their lives.
Florida is one of the only states, ?where you don?t have to go through the system,? John said.
According to the brothers, their father instilled a love for the land in them, but they ?were never much into that tree hugging, fern sniffing mode,? John said. However, the pair opposes the commercialization of the funeral process.
?(Undertakers) have removed modern American?s ability to deal with death. There?s nothing traditional about what they do. People think it?s easier to write a check,? John said.
Glendale offers free plots, an outdoor chapel and a $1,000 fee for opening and closing the grave space. In addition, the brothers hand make pine coffins in their onsite lumber mill, beginning at $400.
The Wilkerson?s said they receive many accolades for the alternative option they?ve afforded families.
?People are grateful, we?ve allowed them to have that opportunity,? Bill said.
?It?s a wonderful feeling,? John said.
SoWal Insider
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
I thought this thread was dead.
I thought this thread was dead. 
SoWal Expert
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
If I was standing next to you, I'd dope slap ya first and then hug you for such a "bad" joke!
If I was standing next to you, I'd dope slap ya first and then hug you for such a "bad" joke!
SoWal Insider
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
Just standing in for Sueshore.
Besides, you're the one wearing the clown suit.
If I was standing next to you, I'd dope slap ya first and then hug you for such a "bad" joke!
Just standing in for Sueshore.
Besides, you're the one wearing the clown suit.
SoWal Expert
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
Homey don't play dat.
Just standing in for Sueshore.
Besides, you're the one wearing the clown suit.
Homey don't play dat.
Meow
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
:clap_1: ...now if we could just get that Seawall thread buried!!!!!
Just standing in for Sueshore.
Besides, you're the one wearing the clown suit.
:clap_1: ...now if we could just get that Seawall thread buried!!!!!
SoWal Expert
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
:clap_1: ...now if we could just get that Seawall thread buried!!!!!
needs to get out more
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
what's the matter with the seawall thread? the disposition of the walls directly affects every poster on this board.
:clap_1: ...now if we could just get that Seawall thread buried!!!!!
what's the matter with the seawall thread? the disposition of the walls directly affects every poster on this board.
Meow
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
Simmer down JR....just playing with words.
what's the matter with the sewall thread? the disposition of the walls directly affects every poster on this board.
Simmer down JR....just playing with words.
margarita brocoliaAuthor
re: Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve - "Green Cemetery" in Walton County, Florida
And what a fine job you're doing!!
Just standing in for Sueshore.
Besides, you're the one wearing the clown suit.
And what a fine job you're doing!!
Beach Fanatic
Now you can leave this world going green
WEAR ABC 3 :: Top Stories
To know the guy in this video is to love him. He has hit on a fantastic idea.
WEAR ABC 3 :: Top Stories
To know the guy in this video is to love him. He has hit on a fantastic idea.
DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, FL - If you're trying to "go green", there's now a way you can do it for eternity.
A handful of places across the country are offering "green" burials.
Laura Hussey takes us to one of them, in Walton County, just outside DeFuniak Springs in this Channel Three News Special Report.
It's a place where a circa-1950 school bus has found new life, carrying the dead. Welcome to the Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve where eternal rest is being redefined.
John, "We got the property, my brother and I, the old-fashioned way, inheritance. Our parents used to say boys, please don't let it get developed. But they didn't leave us the million dollars to put in the bank to pay the taxes. So we eventually hit upon the idea of turning the whole place into a green cemetery."
John Wilkerson's mother called modern funerals a circus. Her wish for a simple burial planted the seed.
John, "Anyhow, we learned that you can in fact have a do it yourself green burial. Although we didn't even know the terminology at the time, no embalming fluid, plain pine box, no vault."
The graves at Glendale are identified with simple brass markers.
John, "There's 19 humans, nine dogs, one cat and one guinea pig - permanent residents, we call 'em."
Most of the time, families bury their own loved ones in as little as a favorite blanket.
Laura, "What's not in there?
John, "I don't remember the numbers, but about a gazillion gallons per year of formaldehyde, i.e. embalming fluid, that will eventually make it's way into your drinking water sooner or later. I don't care what kind of casket it's in, what kind of vault it's in."
If people want caskets, inexpensive, eco-friendly pine boxes are made on site.
John, "This is the casket Lazy-Boy showcase. We can send you home with it, it's got removable shelves, OK, put your clothes in it."
And when earthly things are no longer useful .
John, "Bring you back to the Glendale Nature Preserve, where you can be planted right near where this tree grew. What an ecological coup, huh?"
But Wilkerson says healing the planet is just one benefit of green burials.
John, "We've been thanked profusely, several times, for giving people the opportunity to actually do something. To be physically involved with the death of a loved one that's something us Americans have been trained to not do. We don't address death, or mortality, which is kind of bizarre, 'cause it's coming folks - for most of us."
A green burial at Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve costs about eighteen hundred dollars.
Beach Fanatic
There was a story/thread on sowal, or maybe Walton Outdoors, not sure, that mentioned this place. I think you can go hiking there on the expansive property and/or have the owners show you around.
Interesting story though. Thanks.
Interesting story though. Thanks.
Admin
John, "We've been thanked profusely, several times, for giving people the opportunity to actually do something. To be physically involved with the death of a loved one that's something us Americans have been trained to not do. We don't address death, or mortality, which is kind of bizarre, 'cause it's coming folks - for most of us."
Hmmmmm
Beach Fanatic
Yes, John Wilkerson and his folks are interesting, innovative and offer many cool ideas including a bus that runs on water! In addition to the green burial options, there is much more to explore if you venture up there:
A journey to the Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve | Welcome to Walton Outdoors
A journey to the Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve | Welcome to Walton Outdoors
margarita brocoliaAuthor
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Thank you, Walton Outdoors! Very interesting!
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Thank you, Walton Outdoors! Very interesting!
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