Published: March 13, 2016
Carolina Memorial Sanctuary, situated on a little over 11 acres of rolling hills in Mills River, is a new site for anyone interested in natural burial for themselves or their pet to consider.
Carolina Memorial Sanctuary, situated on a little over 11 acres of rolling hills in Mills River, is a new site for anyone interested in natural burial for themselves or their pet to consider.
The memorial garden is the first conservation burial ground in North Carolina, with strict guidelines for burial and usage that includes a land conservation easement through Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy.
“It’s not necessarily rustic, it’s just natural — it’s not very polished, but very welcoming and comforting,” said Caroline Yongue, director of Carolina Memorial Sanctuary and the Center for End of Life Transitions, who added that though some cemeteries offer “green” burial areas, the sanctuary is the first in the state to embrace the ethic as a whole.
About a dozen “pre-need” sales have been made since the memorial sanctuary’s recent inception, with the site ready to start receiving burials and cremated remains in over 3,000 plots in the next month.
“It’s not as intensive as a traditional cemetery,” said Yongue, adding that guidelines for “green” burial must be followed at the site, including no embalming, hand-dug graves at less than a three-foot depth and a biodegradable casket or a shroud.
Read the full article here.
