Hi Catherine, Remember that federal law (the Federal Trade Commission’s “Funeral Rule”) gives you the right to pick and choose only the services you want. You don’t have to have a viewing, you don’t have to have embalming – it’s all up to you. A green burial is about what you *don’t* buy, so if you use a simple cardboard box (called an alternative container) instead of a casket, skip the embalming, and use a concrete grave-liner that’s open on the bottom, you’ve got a burial that’s mostly green (and cheaper). You should also consider whether using these graves is the best financial decision. They may theoretically be worth a lot, but if that means you have to pay for really costly opening/closing and vault charges, it may be a waste of money. Of course, if other family are already there, I can understand why you would.
