Keith Barlow: Green Burial

Keith Barlow found one final way to honor his mother and her eco-friendly legacy.

Our mother was a frugal and eco-conscious woman, so it was not a huge shock when she proclaimed that, being of sound mind and body, she wanted a green burial when her time was up. We weren’t exactly keen on this decision, so we filed it away for some day in the distant future.

She raised us with the environmentally-focused mantra, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” For instance, when we grew too tall for our jeans, she breathed new life into them by sewing cuff extensions onto the ends of the legs. She was continually saving fabric scraps for these kinds of projects. There was ALWAYS further use for something whose usefulness seemed to have expired.

As children, we fought a lot of this frugality, but conservation and scrimping were natural to her.

As the years went on, Mom continued to remind us with clear determination of her desire for a green burial. She wanted to minimize her footprint in death as she had done all her life. Her request continued to gather dust in the back of our minds.

And then on a sunny afternoon in January 2018, she shuffled off her mortal coil. So, now what? We could no longer side-step her final wish, no matter how awkward it was for us.

We shook off our discomfort and got to work. In time, we found a green cemetery in the Sierra foothills, and we found a green burial community that offered encouragement and practical advice. Thus, on the morning of her interment, we wrapped her with love in fresh muslin and lowered her into her directly into the earth – her final resting place, as requested.

To have her remains committed in this way was her last act of eco-consciousness. Though we were not originally on board with her request, we knew that it was the right thing to do. Fulfilling her last wish helped bring us closure.

I think Mom would be pleased with how it turned out, though she’d probably scold us for burying her in brand new muslin rather than a wrap sewn together from her scraps of fabric.

With a Perspective, I’m Keith Barlow.

Keith Barlow is an information technology professional in the East Bay. He visits his mother as often as he can.