New death care is a concept that is quickly catching on in some areas. It’s the idea that families should have far more freedom when it comes to funeral rites and more options should be made available beyond traditional burial and cremation.
For some time now, research has revealed that people want the death care industry to change. A growing number of people have been dissatisfied with being limited to a narrow selection of body disposition options. Others also feel that traditional death care is too impersonal. It’s caused people to reflect on what is really meaningful, and that’s significantly changing death care in some parts of the country.
States Where New Death Care is Becoming the Norm
On a state level, there’s a lot of variation within the death care industry, which makes sense given there are few federal regulations for funeral services. Instead, each state passes its own laws to determine what services are legal in the state. Several states have emerged in recent years as the innovators of the new death care industry.
Colorado
Death care is much more diverse in Colorado compared to many other states. Right now an increasing number of Coloradans are opting for more natural alternatives to traditional funeral services. The state doesn’t just allow for alkaline hydrolysis and body composting. There’s now a conservation burial preserve as well.
Across the state, more people want to make less of an impact and have more control over the funeral proceedings. As the funeral industry evolves Colorado is poised to be right at the forefront.
Washington
Washington has become known for its acceptance of alternative body disposition. The state doesn’t mind being the first to do something revolutionary in the death care industry. It was the first state in the nation to legalize natural organic reduction, also commonly referred to as body composting.
Basically, all body disposition options are available in Washington state. They also allow families a lot of freedom in terms of handling the body before burial or cremation.
California
It’s no surprise that California is the place where solar-powered conceptual crematoriums are conceived. After all, California is home to the Green Burial Council and has one of the highest rates of cremation in the country. It’s also a state where you’ll find lush burial forests that allow for burial and land conservation.
Metros and Cities That Are Normalizing New Death Care
Death care is also evolving at a more local level in some areas. Ultimately, local municipalities have a lot of say in what death care and funeral services are available, and in some cities the funeral landscape is changing.
Austin, TX
For many years, Austin has been a technology hub where things are done differently. Even death care is different in Travis County compared to much of Texas. Austin is among the few cities in the country that have done a Cemetery Master Plan that included public input. There are also a number of state parks in the area that are popular spots for scattering ceremonies and there are several cemeteries that offer green burial services.
Green Cremation Texas can even help Austin area families coordinate water cremation for the least impact possible. So while some services aren’t legal within Texas they can still be arranged until they are legal in-state.
Crestone, CO
Crestone is currently the only place in the U.S. with a public open-air funeral pyre like they have in India. Since it’s a public pyre that means anyone could walk up and see the cremation in process. The only catch is the service is only available to local residents. But Crestone may not be the only city that allows open-air pyre cremation in the near future. Last year a bill was introduced in Maine that would allow a non-profit to conduct open-air cremations on their 60-acre property in the state.
Gainesville, FL
The University of Florida in Gainesville was the first place in the U.S. to use alkaline hydrolysis. They used it at Shands Hospital for bodies that had been medically donated. The acceptance within the medical community there helped lead the way to alkaline hydrolysis being legalized across the state.
Green Cremation Texas is at the forefront of technologically-advanced, eco-friendly funeral services that gives families more control over death care. We’re proud to provide communities across Central Texas with alternative death care options that are more memorable and less impactful.
