We have over 7 billion people in the world now. The Baby Boomers are going to be the next generation to die. Something is going to change in how we about preparing to die.

According to the Casket and Funeral Association of America, we are putting over 1.6 million tons of concrete and 100,000 tons of steel into the ground every year as we bury people in this country. Add to that over 800,000 gallons of embalming fluid which is toxic to the environment.

Here comes the Baby Boom Generation which is retiring more and more people each year. This is the generation that invented Earth Day and started the recycling movement. I think that they will be looking for alternatives.

There is a cemetery in our city that is converting a portion of their land to a place for green burials. A green burial starts with a body that has not been embalmed. None of the 50 states require you to have the body embalmed before burial. You might need to find a funeral home that is more comfortable with refrigeration techniques or the use of dry ice. They are also developing alternative embalming fluids that are non toxic. You can still have a viewing of the body and traditional funeral service.

The body will be buried in a biodegradable casket made out of a sustainable material like bamboo or woven reeds. It will be lined with a cotton liner or something similar that will decompose.

The burial will be in the ground at a level that will encourage decomposition and will not have a concrete vault. The marker will be a natural stone or a planted tree. A GPS will also be used to locate and mark the real estate. After that, the ground will convert to prairie grass with trees and will not use all of the water, fertilizers and gas equipment to keep it looking like a green lawn. Water alone would be over 2 million gallons a year just for a small 3 acre cemetery.

The most creative part about this is that some cemeteries will also allow you to bury another body in the same plot after 20 years. The slogan of reduce, reuse, and recycle will be passed on to the next generation. Your children and your grandchildren can be buried in the same plot.

The funeral industry is starting to warm up to these ideas. After all, the Baby Boom generation has had a major impact on almost every industry that it has come in contact with.