Going Out Green: One Man's Adventure Planning His Own Natural Burial

A recent AARP poll asked, "Which type of burial is most appealing?"  Only 8 percent answered that they wanted a traditional cemetery burial, and only 18 percent chose cremation.  An amazing 70 percent of those polled through the website said that they wanted a green burial.

But what is a natural or "green" burial?  And how does one go about planning one?

Ever since reading about the strange last request of iconic environmental writer Edward Abbey, Bob Butz has quietly wondered about how he might like his own burial to one day play out.  Abbey wanted no undertakers, no coffin, and no embalming fluid.  "I want my body to help fertilize the growth of a cactus or cliff rose or sagebrush or tree," he wrote.  In 1989, Abbey died surrounded by family and a handful of close friends.  His body was wrapped in a blue sleeping bag, loaded into the back of a pickup truck, driven to a secret location in the Arizona desert, and buried in a hand-dug grave. 

This intriguing last chapter of a man seen as the father of modern environmental writing also serves as a model for an increasingly popular alternative to the expensive, environmentally unsustainable practices associated with conventional burials.

As an award-winning author and amateur naturalist, Butz is a man who's spent most of his career writing about the magic of woods, water, wildlife, the open air, and the soul-stirring goodness of a life lived close to the land.  Yet, when it comes to living green, this pickup driving, diaper-changing, thirty-something, stay-at-home father of two admits he's like most Americans-hardly a candidate for Environmentalist of the Year.

But these qualities make him the perfect, unbiased and down-to-earth guide through the natural burial process.  From a vivid observation of conventional embalming to hand digging a grave in one of the scores of "natural burial preserves" suddenly popping up all across America, Butz offers a witty and detailed account of his adventure into the current trend of green burials.

Going Out Green gives a sensitive, entertaining and honest account of the twists and turns one may encounter when planning a natural burial.  Weighing in on the emotional and biodegradable benefits of being buried in a blanket, shroud, or hand-made coffin crafted from locally grown timber… trying to convince your spouse and immediate family that a green burial makes good sense… Butz plans his own natural burial and in the process instructs the reader how they might one day return naturally to the earth.

Visit Bob's blog

Going Out Green: One Man's Adventure Planning His Own Natural Burial
by Bob Butz
ISBN: 978-0-9818708-1-6

Available for purchase in both print and electronic formats. Click a link at the top of the right column to order.

READER REVIEWS

Krystal Johns reviewed Going Out Green on her blog, Musings from Mom School. Johns writes, "Going Out Green was a quick, easy read on a topic that everyone will have to think about one day, and it will get you thinking, whether you want to or not." Read her entire review >

    Mr. Butz: Read the review of Going Out Green in "Traverse Magazine" during our annual two week vacation in Onekama. Went up to Horizon Books the next day to pick it up. I enjoyed it tremendously and congratulate you on a great read. I just ordered An Uncrowded Place and await its arrival. Thanks again for a great read. (P.S. I almost wet my pants with Chapter 2!) :-) D.K.

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    I like it. I hear so much talk from industry insiders that it was especially good to hear from someone starting from scratch trying to translate aspirations into concrete plans. You've reminded me what matters most to people. I was especially interested in your views on burial depth. This has become a near obsession with me given the refusal of natural burialists in the UK to acknowledge it. I nodded and laughed and nodded some more. You write well and wisely. I knocked it off in a sitting, not to be interrupted. With all best to you. Charles C. goodfuneralguide.co.uk