How To Arrange An Inexpensive Memorial For An Environmentally Conscious Individual
An unexpected death can cause a lot of anxiety for those who don't have the money for a funeral. The average cost of a funeral in 2016 is around $8,000 - $10,000 dollars. Having to cover the costs of a funeral can be devastating for a large portion of our population when you consider nearly a quarter of Americans do not have enough savings to cover an emergency expenditure of $100 or less. Fortunately, there are ways to lower the costs of a funeral significantly if you are willing to forego the traditional setup of a wake, church service, and burial. Here is how you can arrange an inexpensive memorial that honors the memory of an environmentally conscious loved one.
Choose Cremation
The average cost of a cremation in the United States starts at $600 and, if you know that the deceased wouldn't object to their remains being cremated, it is a viable option you can use to save money on the cost of the funeral without appearing like you are scrimping to save a few dollars – even if you are. The remains can be given to you after cremation in many communities in a plastic bag lined cardboard box instead of an expensive urn.
Memorial Tree Urn
The use of memorial tree urns is growing in the United States as environmentally-conscious people look for alternative ways to dispose of their remains with having an adverse effect on the environment. A traditional burial usually includes a body that has been embalmed with a toxic combination of formaldehyde, methanol, and other types of solvents. The chemicals are used to preserve the body during the wake and funeral service, but the chemicals are also environmentally dangerous. The use of immediate cremation and a memorial tree urn avoids putting embalming chemicals in the body of your loved one.
The ashes can be planted in a memorial tree urn and planted in a public park. A memorial tree urn helps the nutrients from the ashes of your loved one to get absorbed into a tree as it grows. You should contact your local parks department to find out about costs. Some parks department let you do it for the cost of the tree and planting, and others may not charge anything at all. In places that charge for planting a memorial tree, you should expect to pay upward of a few hundred dollars.
Memorial Plaque
Instead of a grave marker, you can put a memorial plaque right by the tree to help people remember your loved one and pay their respects. A memorial plaque usually can cost a couple hundred dollars or more, but it is still less expensive than a large gravestone.
Honoring a loved one in death who was environmentally conscious can be done is a meaningful way on a limited budget. Contact local funeral services for more help.