Green Funeral

Responding to people’s concerns for the world we live in, we at the Gleasure Funeral Home offer a number of options for those interested in a “green” funeral.

All our environmentally friendly coffins are made in Ireland, generally Co. Cork, Louth or Donegal. These are all from managed and regulated forestry sources.

We supply a selection of different modern green coffins, from a plain pine (GT34) unvarnished coffin, a simple MDF timber coffin, a cardboard or hand weaved willow, banana leaf or pandanus rope grass. They have biodegradeable fittings and are closed by wooden dowels or rope.

In cases where the family or deceased has requested that embalming not take place, thereby resisting the use of chemicals, the body is allowed to decay naturally. We strive to maintain an informative, useful and up-to-date website thereby preventing unnecessary paper leaflets and notices.

Many people consider cremation to be a more eco-friendly way of disposition. When this is the choice the ashes can be scattered at a special place or buried in a family grave. A grave plot, due to the small size of an urn, can obviously contain many more urns than coffin burials. We generally advise that a coffin for cremation needs to be respectable but ought not to be a solid timber, expensive or of too high quality.

There are a number of green cemetery choices, such as Aghadoe Lawn Cemetery in Killarney or alternatively Woodbrook Natural Burial Ground between Carlow and Wexford is a woodland cemetery which doubles it’s use as a living, natural meadow. Generally a grave plot in most Kerry cemeteries can accommodate three burials over a generation, with the first being the deepest, so there is no waste or misuse of land.

Traditionally made from limestone or other local rock, modern methods allow the use of composite plant materials. The headstone can also be carved from a single piece of natural slate. Another version is to use a stained glass window to depict a flower or rolling hills and incorporate this theme in the headstone itself.

The wreaths we use are from local florists and we avoid non-recyclable waste where possible.

The majority of our vehicles- those that cover the greater distances- are diesel, returning greater kilometres per litre and less environmental impact.