Articles By Merilynne Rush
Articles Featuring Merilynne Rush
Articles About End-of-life Doulas and Death                                                   
Articles About Natural Death Care (Home Funeral/Green Burial) 
Videos & Podcasts
Featuring Merilynne Rush Others
Merilynne on the Radio
Books
Covid-19 Resources
Death Doulas Used to Be Rare. The COVID-19 Pandemic Changed That Article featured in Time
Being an end-of-life doula from a distance during Covid-19 by Merilynne Rush and Diane Button
National End-of-Life Doula Alliance
National Home Funeral Alliance
​Funeral Consumers Alliance
​Green Burial Council
Oregon Funeral Pandemic Care Guide Home Funeral Resources
NHPCO Shared Decision-making Tool During Covid-19
Barbara Karnes hospice nurse educator blog posts
EOL University Podcasts with Dr. Karen Wyatt
General Natural Death Care Resources
​Threshold Care Circle an excellent planning booklet and step-by-step guide to caring for the body
Seven Ponds website for resources for end-of-life, including home funeral
A Sacred Moment
Final Passages
Natural Undertaking
Caring Connections for information about state specific Advance Directives
Peaceful Crossings: An enlightened and proactive alternative to conventional funeral planning
Natural Transitions Magazine: Sharing Conscientious, holistic approaches to end of life
Natural Burial in Michigan
Natural burial, also called green burial, involves placing the body of the deceased in the earth in the most natural and environmentally friendly way possible to facilitate its return to the elements.  It may include the use of a biodegradable casket or shroud instead of a metal casket, natural cooling methods instead of embalming, avoiding the use of a concrete vault, and natural grounds-keeping methods like planting wild flowers instead of mowing.  It can take place in a section of a conventional cemetery (hybrid), or in a cemetery that is dedicated entirely to green practices, including restoration of the land. Modern burial practices began in the late 19th century. Natural burial is similar to the way most of humanity cared for its dead before embalming and the development of other recent trends. 

Are the following issues important to you?
  • No cement vault
  • No embalming
  • Biodegradable casket or shroud
  • Environmentally-friendly landscaping and grounds-keeping
  • Native plants and grasses

Most existing conventional cemeteries are reluctant to change their ground maintenance practices, but they might designate a section in the back for “natural burial.”  It’s important to know what you are asking for.  Keep asking.  As more people express their desire, more cemeteries will offer natural burial options.

Cremation uses a great amount of energy (natural gas) and toxins are often released into the atmosphere, however, less land is used to bury cremated remains.​
Find a Natural Cemetery Near You
For a list of certified green cemeteries in the U.S., see Green Burial Cemeteries in the US and Canada, and for more information about green burial, please contact the Green Burial Council.

Hybrid cemeteries in Michigan that have a natural burial section:
“Merilynne met with my family at our home when my grandmother was dying. We’re so grateful that she helped us learn how to do this naturally. It was just perfect.” —Sierra 
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​Compassionate Communities: A Public Health Approach to End-of-Life Care by Merilynne Rush, MSHP, RN, BSN