Resources
Green Burial Ottawa Valley
Green Burial Ottawa Valley is a co-operative non-profit based in Renfrew County, Ontario. We are advocating for the creation of green burial grounds in our area.
www.greenburialottawavalley.ca
Natural Burial in BC * Green Burial BC
Advocating for natural burial and greener disposition options for all British Columbians. Encouraging the establishment of natural burial grounds in every BC community; burial grounds dedicated to conservation and remembrance.
Natural Burial Association
The Natural Burial Association is a volunteer non-profit. We’d like for people in Ontario to have an end-of-life option that heals the earth and reduces death’s carbon footprint. Focusing on Ontario we: support local advocacy groups so they can hit the ground running, build awareness of natural burial through media and webinars, and we are lobbying the Ontario Government to lower the perpetuity fee (40% in Ontario compared to the national average of 13%) so that affordability is not a barrier to natural burial.
Green Burial Society of Nova Scotia (GBSNS)
The Green Burial Society of Nova Scotia (GBSNS) is a volunteer-led nonprofit advancing simple, natural, and environmentally responsible burial practices across the province. We educate the public and funeral sector, support the development of certified green burial cemeteries, and advocate for policies that expand access to sustainable after-death care. In 2020, we founded the Green Burial Café to foster open community conversations about death, dying, and environmentally conscious end-of-life choices.
The Natural Death Centre / Association of Natural Burial Grounds
The UK has led the modern green burial movement since the early 1990’s. Today, green burial is widely available across most of the UK, largely due to the hard work and diligence of The Natural Death Centre (NDC) and its affiliated Association of Natural Burial Grounds (ANBG).
Based in Twyford, Winchester, England, the NDC is a social, entrepreneurial, educational charity that gives free, objective advice on all aspects of dying, bereavement, and consumer rights. They give support on family-organized and environmentally friendly funerals, and they manage the ANBG.
Together, these organizations have established “a gold standard” for natural burial and funeral practices. Their simple and clear aims and objects have remained rigorous and largely unchanged over thirty years.
Like the GBC in the US, they require members to comply with a code of conduct that provides the public with the assurance of best practices at every one of their member sites. They also assist individuals in the process of establishing new natural burial grounds and provide guidance to existing burial ground operators wanting to provide natural burial services.
Green Burial Council
Founded in 2005, the US Green Burial Council (GBC) was the first North American organization set up to “inspire and advocate for environmentally sustainable, natural death care through education and certification.”
The GBC is comprised of a non-profit business organization that certifies qualified providers and a non-profit educational organization that provides reliable information to providers and the public. As of 2023, the GBC has certified over 370 cemeteries in three categories, as well as qualified Funeral Homes.
Critical to the GBC’s success is the understanding that green burial would not gain traction without a credible, independent certifying entity, and without also ensuring that valid, open-source information about green burial was readily available.
The Green Burial Society of Canada respects and supports the excellent work and leadership of the Green Burial Council, which we see as our partner in a common cause. Our organization was set up to complement and extend the efforts of the GBC. Our goal is to provide a Canadian voice for green burial, responding to the specific needs of Canadian families, consumers, and business operations, working within the context of Canadian geography and climate, and the rules and regulations of our provinces and territories.
How to start a Green Burial Cemetery
Starting a green burial is starting a cemetery. Even one burial requires the site to be legally designated as a cemetery.
Cemeteries are governed by strict provincial and territorial legislation. A green burial cemetery must follow all the jurisdictional laws and regulations. It is neither easier nor harder to start a green burial cemetery than a conventional cemetery, but it is important to understand what this means.
Once your land is established as a cemetery, then you can apply to the Green Burial Society of Canada to become a GBSC Certified Green Burial Cemetery.
Please read about your provinces laws and regulations on cemeteries below:
Alberta: https://www.alberta.ca/cemeteries-registration
British Columbia: https://www.consumerprotectionbc.ca & https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/
Manitoba: https://www.gov.mb.ca/funeraldirectorsboard & https://web2.gov.mb.ca/
New Brunswick: http://www.fcnb.ca/consumer-affairs.html & https://www.associationofnbcemeteries.com/membership-cemeteries
Newfoundland & Labrador: https://www.gov.nl.ca/dgsnl/.
Northwest Territories: https://www.gov.nl.ca/dgsnl/ & https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/sites/hss/files/resources/
Nova Scotia: https://beta.novascotia.ca/
Nunavut: https://www.nunavutlegislation.ca
Ontario: https://thebao.ca/ &
Prince Edward Island: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca
Quebec: https://www.legisquebec &
Saskatchewan: https://fcaa.gov.sk.ca
Yukon: https://laws.yukon.ca/cms
Talk Death
TalkDeath’s mission is to encourage positive and constructive conversations around death and dying. Although our awareness of the issues and needs surrounding death is growing, it is still not considered appropriate “dinner table talk.” Well, we think it is.
From green burials and home funerals, to history, memento mori art, funeral law, and grief resources, TalkDeath.com is the hub for a changing death-conscious public. TalkDeath also aims to bridge the gap between death professionals and the general public, helping you make informed end-of-life decisions.
West Coast Climate Action Network
