Burial Options at Carolina Memorial Sanctuary
We offer many options for those who have chosen our beautiful Sanctuary as their final resting place. Click any of the links below to quickly get to that section:
- Interment Options – burial and habitat options including options for pets
- Biodegradable Burial Containers – approved burial container options for the Sanctuary
- Grave Markers – natural markers suitable for Carolina Memorial Sanctuary
- Memorial Gifts – ways to honor a loved one and help with our conservation efforts
Interment Options
At Carolina Memorial Sanctuary, we offer the following interment options in either the Southeastern Meadow, the Woodlands, or Creekside:
- Natural Burial
- Burial of Cremated Remains
- Scattering of Ashes
See Cost of Green Burial for prices and more details.
See Sanctuary Habitats to learn more about different habitats for burial.
Learn more about Cremated Remains: Options for Green Burial & Scattering
Pet Options
If you purchase a spot for yourself, you may also purchase a spot for pets to be buried beside you. We also allow pet’s cremated remains to be buried with humans. If you only want to purchase a spot for your pet, we welcome them in the Pet Memorial Garden. Burial options for pets include:
- Natural Burial
- Burial of Cremated Remains
- Scattering of Ashes
Our Pet Burial blog provides more information about services for pets.
Biodegradable Burial Containers
Certification as a Conservation Burial Ground by the Green Burial Council means that we must adhere to strict burial guidelines. Choosing a biodegradable burial container is a very personal choice and even for natural burial, there are a number of options. The following are containers approved for Carolina Memorial Sanctuary:
Coffins & Caskets
Coffins and caskets must be biodegradable, free of toxic materials (ex: varnish), free of metal (with the exclusion of nails and screws) and made from renewable and sustainable resources. Local options for coffins and caskets:
- Cardboard Coffin from Mourning Dove Studio
- Pine Coffin from Cluxton Caskets or Piedmont Pine Coffins
- Self-made pine coffin (we need to be consulted first about materials used for construction)
- Woven Casket from Mary Lauren Fraser (located in Massachusetts, but the only maker in the US)
* The above suppliers can make custom coffins for children or pets.
Read the blog Biodegradable Burial Containers for Green Burial: Coffins & Caskets for other options and to learn more.
Burial Shroud
A burial shroud is a piece of fabric that is custom designed to wrap the body. Options for shrouds:
- Organic Shroud from Mourning Dove Studio
- Handsewn shroud you make yourself
- A quilt, blanket, or sheet (perhaps having sentimental value)
We require that shrouds used in Carolina Memorial Sanctuary be made of fabric that is biodegradable; certain synthetic materials can take up to 200 years to breakdown.
Read the blog Biodegradable Burial Containers for Green Burial: The What & Why to learn more about shrouds.
No Container / Au Natural
Is it possible to be buried without a container or au natural? The answer is ‘yes.’ You might want to consider the comfort level of your loved ones and how they may feel placing earth directly on your body during burial. Think through the type of service you want and who will likely attend and talk through your wishes with those who will be involved. That being said, if this option feels important to you, we can find a way to honor your wishes.
Planning, Purchasing & Storage
Figuring out ‘what to do’ at the time of death is very stressful – help your loved ones by being prepared. Be sure to document your choice for the disposition of your body and convey this information to all parties responsible for carrying out your wishes. We encourage purchasing, or at least choosing your burial container in advance; this leaves one less thing for your loved ones to be responsible for when fulfilling your burial wishes.
You may purchase products from the supplier directly or you may contact us for help in coordinating the purchase of a container. If you decide to purchase in advance, you will be responsible for storage.
We have an entire blog series dedicated to biodegradable burial containers, which includes additional options, a full description of products, and price comparisons. Part 1 – What, Why, & Shrouds, Part 2 – Coffins & Caskets, Part 3 – Strange & Unusual. We recommend reading the whole series, starting with Part 1.
Grave Markers
Different markers are available to mark your gravesite such as native stones and native plants. Read about the approved markers for the Sanctuary.
Stone Grave Markers
We use native stone as grave markers, which is included with a purchase of burial at Carolina Memorial Sanctuary. We have partnered with Martin Monuments who keeps a collection of native stones on hand just for our guests. Here are the steps for choosing and engraving the stone:
Step 1 – Contact us to let us know you are ready to pick out a stone. We’ll let Martin Monuments know you’re on your way, and make sure they have native stones in stock.
Step 2 – Go to Martin Monuments to pick out your stone and have it engraved.
- Guests are responsible for the cost of engraving.
- Cost of engraving depends on the size of the text and the number of characters.
Step 3 – Someone from our staff will pickup your completed stone marker and bring it to the Sanctuary for placement. Once it is received, we will contact you to see if you’d like to make an appointment to place the marker on the grave. Otherwise, we are happy to do it for you.
If you have purchased a spot for yourself, we recommend picking out your headstone and having it engraved in advance. Of course, without the date of death! If you would prefer to postpone engraving for your marker, you may choose a stone in advance and place it at your purchased gravesite.
Other Markers
Memorial Plantings (see below) may also be used as a grave marker, depending on the location of the grave – as not all sites can accommodate the addition of a new plant. A person may opt for no marker at all and that is perfectly acceptable. Since our mission is to maintain the natural beauty of the land, we do not allow other type of markers to be used.
Memorial Gifts
Leave a lasting legacy with a memorial gift such as a native plant or bench. Memorial gifting honors your loved one and assists Carolina Memorial Sanctuary with our land conservation and restoration efforts. To learn more, please visit our Memorial Gifting page and read our blog about Memorial Plantings.
