End of Life Planning | Eco Options CA | Revised April 2026
Although green burial is now considered an eco-conscious disposition alternative, it is essentially a return to the natural burial practice that was once the ‘norm’. A natural burial with no chemicals, steel caskets, or concrete burial vaults. With minimum intervention, the body is carefully buried in a simple earth-grave plot.
Why Choose a Green Burial?
There are two main reasons why people are choosing green or natural burial. Some are opting for a green burial as an environmental commitment. A natural burial causes less environmental harm than a traditional burial or cremation.
Traditional funerals account for 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluid, 20 million board feet of hardwood, and 1.6 million tons of concrete being entombed into the earth in the United States each year. [These figures are likely diminishing as the cremation rate in the U.S. is increasing.] And Cremation emits almost 700 million pounds of CO2 annually in the U.S.
So, both these funeral options are detrimental to the sustainability of our future and the planet.
A green burial eliminates harmful materials, toxins, and gases during the disposition process. It returns the body to the earth in the most natural way possible.
What makes a burial green?
The basic elements of ensuring a burial are classified as green are to remove all negative environmental impacts. This means not embalming the body, using only a biodegradable burial container, avoiding concrete burial vaults, and protecting the natural landscape. In some natural burial sites, it also means forgoing a typical grave marker and actively conserving the natural habitat.
What does a natural burial cost in California?
A natural burial costs less than a traditional burial, as many costly items are eliminated. There is no expensive casket, embalming, burial vault, or fancy headstone. However, as demand for green burial plots is still relatively low (in the grand scheme of death care practices), prices for a green burial plot in California range from $4,000 to $10,000.
We have included some example prices from green cemeteries in California below.
The Green Movement in California
There has been a growing movement towards a more sustainable death care practice in the United States. The West Coast states are among the most progressive in reimagining disposition alternatives for a greener future.
Human composting is now a legal disposition method in Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, and New York, and I am sure more states will adopt this new, greener disposition technology.
Find a Green burial cemetery in California.
You can visit our Green Burial Directory for listings of all Green Burial Grounds in the United States. Listed below is information on Green Burial Cemeteries in California.
How to find a Green Funeral Provider in California
You may have decided, or are contemplating, to choose a natural burial for yourself or a family member. Where do you start? How do you find a suitable burial plot? And ensure you use the services of a funeral director experienced in green burial.
Some natural burial sites in California can provide burial services and may have a licensed funeral director on staff. Alternatively, you can use a funeral home that offers ‘green funeral’ services.
There is no legal requirement in California to employ a funeral director. The law allows you to keep the body at home or make arrangements for transportation from a medical location, hospice, or nursing home.
However, you will be legally responsible for obtaining the death certificate. You need to file for the death certificate with the local registrar within 8 days after the death.
You also need to obtain a Permit for Disposition from the registrar’s office in order to legally transport the deceased from the place of death to the green burial cemetery. The cemetery will require this to receive the deceased and conduct the interment legally. The permit costs $10.00.
You can employ the services of a funeral home or mortuary transport service to help you, but then you will incur mortuary transportation costs.
A number of funeral service providers now offer green burial service packages. The number of funeral homes offering these services is growing as the interest in natural burial increases.
Although green burial is now considered an eco-conscious disposition alternative, it is essentially a return to the natural burial practice that was once the ‘norm’. A natural burial with no chemicals, steel caskets, or concrete burial vaults. With minimum intervention, the body is carefully buried in a simple earth-grave plot.
| Location | Cemetery | Information | Green burial plot cost (Single) | Contact |
| San Francisco Bay Area | Fernwood Cemetery & Funeral Home | GBC certified natural burial & 32-acre wildlife habitat. | $10,100 | (415) 843-4220 |
| San Francisco Bay Area | Pleasant Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary | Pleasant Hills is a hybrid cemetery offering a designated area for green burials. | $4,400 | (707) 823-5042 |
| Napa | Tulocay Cemetery & Funeral Home | The newly established green section has been added. | $5,205 | (707) 252-4727 |
| San Mateo County | Purissima Cemetery | Gan Eden is set aside for traditional Jewish burial. A tradition that has always embodied green burial. | (609) 892-4429 | |
| San Diego | Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery | A new GBC Hybrid green section. | (760) 980-0013 | |
| San Diego | Bravo Family Mortuary | Family-owned funeral service provider offering green funeral options | Near Joshua Tree National Park. A GBC-certified section is set aside for green burials. | |
| Joshua Tree | Joshua Tree Memorial Park | GBC-certified 160-acre wildlife preserve featuring 2 hillside gardens. | ||
| Lincoln Nr. Sacramento | Morgan Oaks Eternal Preserve | GBC-certified natural burial & 32-acre wildlife habitat. | (916) 625-3800 | |
| Sacramento | Sunset Lawn Cemetery | A conventional cemetery that can accommodate a green burial. | ||
| Santa Monica | Woodlawn Cemetery | Eternal Meadow is a naturalistic wildflower meadow garden protecting native wildflowers & grasses of California. | $18,358 | (310) 458-8717 |
| Los Angeles | Hillside Memorial Park | Gan Eden is set aside for traditional Jewish burial. A tradition that has always been the embodiment of green burial. | ||
| San Luis Obispo | San Luis Cemetery | Hybrid cemetery offering a designated area for green burials. | (805) 543-7053 | |
| Goldendale, WA | White Eagle Memorial Preserve | 1138 acres of wilderness with a certified conservation burial section CBG | $3,250 |
Arranging a Home Funeral – Services of a death doula
If you decide to conduct a Home Funeral, you may need support to guide you through the process. A death doula or death midwife offers experienced services to help you conduct a home funeral service and care for your loved one at home.
Final Passages is a not-for-profit organization based in California that supports families in conducting family-led home funerals. They provide family consultations and home death care education throughout the community and have so far assisted in 150 family-directed funerals.
Visit our End of Life Planning Section to find our listings of Death Doulas in California
What kind of burial container is considered ‘green’?
Any completely biodegradable container can be used. Certain cemeteries may have specific guidelines or restrictions on what is considered an acceptable green burial container. Common green burial products are wicker or bamboo woven-fiber caskets resembling basket shapes.
Simple wood caskets can be used without metal nails or handles. To be truly sustainable, no toxic glue or varnish should be used in the production of a wood casket.
Woven or wood caskets can cost between $450 and $1,800. Of course, you can build your own DIY wood burial container. Especially if you (or someone you know) are handy at word-working. It can be a great way to use reclaimed wood and to make the casket especially personal.
Cardboard containers are also widely used. They are cheap to purchase, very lightweight, and can be easily decorated and personalized in memory of the deceased. A cardboard coffin can usually be purchased for $150 or less.
Is cremation green?
Cremation is considered a ‘greener’ alternative to a traditional full-service funeral. We can eliminate embalming toxins, steel caskets, concrete burial vaults, and ornate granite markers. However, cremation requires energy to power the cremation retort and produces carbon emissions.
A single cremation is said to be equivalent to the carbon emissions of a 500-mile car trip. The energy used for a single cremation could heat a house in Minnesota in winter for one week.
Greener cremation alternatives are entering the disposition market. Water cremation, an Alkaline hydrolysis process that reduces the body with water and heat, is now available in 22 states, including California. It is also referred to as Bio Cremation or resomation.
You can learn more about aquamation by reading our guide to Bio Cremation. Aqua cremation costs between $1,500 to $3,500.
It is still considered a somewhat ‘fringe’ alternative, though it offers a more eco-friendly cremation option. It has been in practice for some time as a disposition solution for pets, but it has met some resistance for humans. Many seem to consider the notion of ‘dissolving’ a body more macabre than burning a body!
Choosing between cremation or natural burial
At present, cremation remains the preferred disposition option for Californians. It is a greener alternative to a traditional burial, and after a cremation, the remains can be buried in a natural burial ground.
Most green burial cemeteries provide options for interring or scattering cremated remains. Cremation ashes are organic and sterile and generally pose no threat to the environment.
However, some conservation burial areas may have ordinances governing the scattering of ashes to manage soil alkalinity. Cremation ashes are naturally alkaline due to their high levels of calcium phosphate and sodium.
Can you carry out a natural burial on your own private land in California?
California law only permits burial in an ‘established cemetery’. In urban areas, this means the opportunity to bury on your own land is not available. However, if you live in a rural area of California, you can apply for permission to declare land as an established home burial cemetery.
This process can take some time before you receive the legal license, so if you are considering this, you must plan ahead with plenty of time.
Eco-Friendly Options for Scattering or Burying Ashes in California
Is scattering ashes considered an environmentally friendly memorial option?
Yes. Many families view scattering cremated remains as a low-impact memorial choice because it avoids the use of burial vaults, embalming chemicals, or permanent monuments. In California, ashes can often be scattered in meaningful natural locations—such as mountains, forests, or at sea—provided local regulations and permissions are followed.
California law allows cremated remains to be scattered in several locations, including private property (with the owner’s permission), designated scattering gardens in cemeteries, and at sea. Scattering on federal or state land may require approval from the relevant authority, such as the National Park Service or the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Ashes must be scattered in a way that they are not distinguishable to the public.
Yes. Many green cemeteries and natural burial grounds allow cremated remains to be buried in biodegradable urns or simple containers. Interment of ashes typically costs much less than a full-body natural burial and still offers families a permanent memorial location in a natural setting.
Yes. Biodegradable urns made from materials such as paper, sand, bamboo, or salt are commonly used for environmentally friendly memorials. Some urns are designed to dissolve in water for sea scattering, while others gradually break down when buried in soil.
Yes. Scattering cremated remains at sea is permitted off the coast of California, but federal guidelines require that the scattering occur at least three nautical miles from shore. The event must also be reported to the United States Environmental Protection Agency within 30 days of the scattering.
What does Green Burial Council GBC certified mean?
The Green Burial Council was established in 2005 by Joe Sehee as a non-profit educational organization to advocate, lead, steward, and educate on all matters concerning green burial. The GBC’s values and vision are to provide universal standards for sustainable death care, access to information, and certification.
The Green Burial Council’s certification standards ensure that the public can trust the service levels delivered by GBC-certified providers to meet a benchmark level of standard practice.
Cemetery certification standards help us categorize green burial sites into 3 distinct categories: Hybrid Cemetery, Natural Burial Ground, and Conservation Burial Ground.
You can read more about these categories and definitions in our Guide to Green Burial.
Frequently Asked Questions ~ Natural Burial
Natural burial typically takes place in a certified green cemetery or a cemetery that offers a green burial section. Some conservation burial grounds also exist, where burial fees help support land preservation. In California, these sites are often located in rural or natural landscapes and may restrict vaults, concrete liners, and non-biodegradable materials.
Green burials usually involve biodegradable materials only. The body may be wrapped in a natural fiber shroud or placed in a simple biodegradable casket made of materials such as pine, wicker, bamboo, or cardboard. Metal caskets, embalming chemicals, and concrete vaults are generally avoided to allow the body to return naturally to the earth.
No. Embalming is not required by law in California for either conventional or natural burial. Many green burial advocates specifically avoid embalming because it introduces chemicals into the environment. Instead, the body may be cooled, buried within a short timeframe, or prepared using natural care practices.
Yes. Many cemeteries and green burial providers in California allow individuals to pre-purchase a burial plot or make advance arrangements. Preplanning can help ensure your wishes for a natural burial are honored and may lock in today’s prices. It can also reduce stress on family members by outlining your preferred cemetery, burial container, and memorial preferences in advance.
Further reading:
A great article by Isabella Jibilian. Insider – August 5th, 2020
California just made it legal to liquefy a corpse
SFGATE – October 17th, 2017
