Published on March 1st, 2013 | by Natural Awakenings Staff
0Maryrest Cemetery in Mahwah Offers Green Burial Option
Maryrest Cemetery, in Mahwah, offers an option to honor the deceased by giving them a green burial. It is the first Catholic cemetery in New Jersey with a natural/green burial section. Surrounded by wildflowers and a natural landscape, a peaceful and serene setting is created for families that prefer an eco-friendly memorial or for those that want an alternative to cremation.
A pathway for visitation with benches on the premises allows visitors to feel as though they are spending an afternoon in the park while visiting departed relatives or friends. The natural burial section is an undisturbed setting where animal and plant life is allowed to thrive, independent of man-made creations. Instead of manufactured headstones, boulders are used to memorialize the deceased. For committal services, a rustic Amish gazebo overlooks the area.
The three levels of interment are Dark Green, for those that prefer to be buried in a burial shroud; Medium Green, for those that prefer a natural biodegradable casket and want some type of memorialization; and Light Green, for those that prefer a natural biodegradable casket, some type of memorialization and embalming using natural embalming fluids.
Location: 770 Darlington Ave., Mahwah, NJ. For more information or a free tour of the natural/green burial section, call 1-866-773-7526.