Guide to Green Burial Services and Cemeteries in Ohio

Green Funerals today – the shift from traditional funerals to cremation, to natural burial

There is an increasing demand for more affordable and yet sustainable death care practices.  Cremation has completely disrupted funeral decisions over the last decade.  Largely, cremation simply became a more affordable alternative for many families who could not afford to pay for a full traditional funeral.

More families are also considering other sustainable funeral alternatives. This guide to Green Burial in Ohio should help you learn more if you are interested in a natural burial.

Traditional burial is not environmentally friendly. It involves entombing chemicals, steel, and concrete in the earth, and embalming is unnatural and largely unnecessary. 

It is NOT legally required in any state unless there is a public health concern.  Even funeral home staff expose themselves to risk by working with these poisonous chemicals.

Cremation seemed to offer a more sustainable alternative.  Yet, cremation requires an energy source that emits pollutants into the environment.  The average cremation uses as much gas as a 500-mile car journey. 

In addition, the emissions from burning synthetic materials, such as body implants and mercury dental fillings, contribute to air-borne mercury pollution. Gas prices are also rising, likely making flame cremation more expensive in the coming years.

This leads us to embrace the true ‘green’, sustainable, least-impact death care option—a simple, natural burial.

Why Consider a Green Burial in Ohio?

If you need to find a Green Funeral Service Provider who offers natural burial options in Ohio, use this link to jump to the table below listing known Green Funeral Providers by city.

We all know that climate change is real.  Maybe we feel it is our politicians’ concern, or it is not going to affect us and ours.  But simply changing a death care choice to a natural burial could have a massive impact on greenhouse gas emissions and ensure our final legacy is one of unity and positivity for the planet.

Recent surveys indicate that more Americans (62%) are interested in a green funeral, but to date, there have been limited options.

We want to change that and help make green burial a realistic and empowering choice for everyone.  We have put together this guide to help you learn more about the green burial options available in Ohio and the Tri-State area.

We have researched green burial service providers and natural burial cemeteries in Ohio.  Some of these may be green burial sites that will assist you in conducting your green funeral.  Others are funeral service providers who offer a natural burial package and can help you prepare your loved one for natural burial, ready for transfer to a green cemetery in Ohio.

What does it cost for a natural burial in Ohio?

There are four main factors to consider when determining the cost of a green burial: the purchase of a grave plot, cemetery fees for digging (opening and closing the plot), a burial receptacle, and any funeral professional service charges.

Green Burial Plot Prices

Firstly, let’s look at the cost of a green burial plot. You can purchase a single burial plot, a companion plot, or a family plot.  Most natural burial sites also offer the burial (or scattering) of cremation ashes, as this may be a preferred ‘green’ final resting place, and cremation ashes are natural organic matter.

Prices for plots vary across green burial sites, but it is fair to say that a single plot can be purchased for as little as $550, though the average cost of a green burial plot is closer to $2,500.  Cremains burial costs around $750.

Cemetery Open & Close Fees

In addition to purchasing the actual grave plot, the natural burial site may charge a small fee for opening and closing the plot.  In other words, you purchase a plot of land for the grave, and then they charge you the cost to dig the grave when the burial occurs.

Plot Open & Close fees are usually between $300 – $800.

Choosing a Biodegradable Burial Container

You need to consider a biodegradable burial receptacle.  The basic options are a simple wood pine casket, a wicker, willow, or bamboo casket, a pressed cardboard casket, or a linen burial shroud.  What you choose will determine your cost. 

You should also check with your natural burial cemetery, as they may have preferences about which receptacles they accept.

A burial shroud costs $300, and a biodegradable wicker or bamboo casket costs $900 to $1,500.

Do you need to hire a funeral director for a green burial?

Finally, you need to decide whether you will employ the services of a funeral director.  There are several funeral service providers in Ohio that offer green funeral services.  Their professional services include collecting the deceased, storing in refrigeration as required, obtaining any required death certificate and burial or transport permits, and transporting the deceased to the burial ground for interment. 

The average funeral home service charge for a green funeral is between $2,000 to $4,000.

Of course, there is no legal requirement to employ a funeral director, and you can apply to the county for the death certificate and burial permit, conduct a home (DIY) funeral by keeping the deceased on dry ice (permitted for 24 hours), and arrange your own transportation of the body to the green burial site.  Most natural burial sites in Ohio will provide assistance with the deceased’s interment.

Death certificates cost $25.00 each, and burial permits are either free or at a small fee.

Reviewing these aspects of green funeral costs, we can estimate that a simple, home-based, DIY green burial could cost under $3,000.  However, if you elect to use a funeral home, depending on the cemetery and casket costs, a green funeral could cost between $3,500 and $4,995.

How many green funeral service providers are there in Ohio?

This is difficult to determine, as not all funeral homes that offer green funeral services list those services on their websites. As interest in natural burial options grows, more funeral homes are beginning to cater to this demand. 

I undertook my own research and have included below a table listing green funeral service providers that I could locate in Ohio.

How do we locate a green funeral service provider in Ohio?

An important starting point is to ‘choose which shade of green’ you aspire to.  The most conservation-minded natural burial possible, or are you content with a simple, natural burial in a hybrid cemetery?  Hybrid cemeteries are traditional cemeteries that have designated a ‘green’ section for natural burial.

Conservation burial grounds (CBGs) and natural burial parks (NBs) adhere to stricter rules for restoring an area’s natural habitat and wildlife. They may specify certain restrictions on burial receptacles and memorial markers.

How do I find a green cemetery in Ohio?

You can use our Green Burial directory to view the locations and details of green burial sites. Below, we have included some information on some natural burial cemeteries.

Foxfield Preserve – NE Ohio

Located in Northeast Ohio, just south of Akron, Foxfield Preserve is a Conservation Burial Ground (CBG) established in 2008. It is situated on 43 acres of beautiful conservation land and is deemed one of the very few specialist CBGs in the U.S.

A burial plot costs $4,000.

Kokosing Nature Preserve (Kenyon College) – Central Ohio

Situated to the northeast of Columbus is another exemplar of conservation burial.  Kokosing Nature Preserve spans 23 acres of conservation land, featuring restored prairies and woodlands. 

This unique conservation burial ground (CBG) is the first of its kind to be established as part of a university land conservancy in 2000.

A burial plot costs $2,500 (+ $2,500 towards land conservancy).

Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary – West Ohio

Located in Cincinnati and established in 2020, Heritage Acres is on 40 acres, 60 percent of which is meadowland and 40 percent forest. The Green Burial Council has awarded it Natural Burial (NB) status.

A burial plot costs $3,000.

Preble Memory Gardens Cemetery – West Ohio

To the west of Dayton lies Preble Memory Gardens, which established 30 acres of Conservation Burial Grounds (CBG) in 2013.

A burial plot costs $550.

Glen Forest Natural Burial Cemetery & Oak Grove – West Central Ohio

Glen Forest and the newly established Oak Grove are located in Yellow Springs, between Columbus and Dayton, and feature 1,000 burial plots. The cemetery dates back to 1823, and the newer designated Natural Burial sections were established in 2013 to meet the need for green funeral options.

Oak Grove features 70 unique plots, each with a new oak tree planted to benefit from the nutrients in the soil.

Burial plots at Glen Forest cost $1,500, plots in Oak Grove cost $750, and the 70 designated ‘special’ Oak Tree plots cost $3,000 each.

Can I conduct a natural burial on my own land?

Yes, it is perfectly legal to use your own land as a cemetery in Ohio.  The Attorney General has stated that no board of township trustees may prohibit a burial on private property. This has previously been a somewhat contentious issue, with townships arguing that the interment of a single family member did not fall within the scope of the Ohio cemetery law governing “family cemeteries.”  And that most registered cemeteries, by law, had to set up a $50,000 endowment fund in perpetuity to operate a cemetery.

It is recommended (and even sometimes required) to file a map marking the burial location with the property deed. Consideration should be given to how this may affect the property value and family legacy should the property be sold at a later date.

To ensure a natural burial, arrangements should be made to inter the body on your land within 24 hours of the passing.

Visit our Green Burials section for more articles about natural burial, DIY Home Funerals, biodegradable burial products, and making your own natural burial receptacle.

Funeral Service Providers Offering Green Funeral Services in Ohio

Other Green Alternatives available in Ohio – Water Cremation or Aquamation

At present, aquamation is not legal in Ohio. Edwards Funeral Service introduced it some years ago, but a lengthy lawsuit forced Edwards to cease operating a facility to conduct water cremation in Ohio.

Edwards Funeral Home continues to offer this service to families who seek a ‘greener’ cremation alternative. However, the deceased is transported to a neighboring state for the aquamation process to be carried out, which has increased the cost of water cremation to Ohio residents. 

A water cremation service package costs $2,495.

Further reading:

Five Reasons to Choose a Natural or Green Burial Service

Green Funerals in the News in Ohio

Columbus Sustainability Guide: Green Burial Options Around Central Ohio

NBC Ohio Green Burials Offer Families a New Type of Closure