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# Natural burials an option that is cheaper and environmentally friendly

  
KimAnna Cellura-Shields stops by the grave of her father, Charles Cellura, at Angel Rock Ranch in Del Norte on Aug. 07, 2013. (THE DENVER POST | Hyoung Chang)A new state law has counties rethinking their burial rules in a way that is allowing families who want to be more green, more cost-conscious or more in control of the ceremony to inter their loved ones more in line with the way it was done for centuries — without chemicals, caskets and funeral homes.That's what KimAnna Cellura-Shields did in spring 2012, when her father, Charles Cellura, was dying from numerous illnesses.Cellura-Shields and her husband, Mike, thought it would be a good idea to start a family cemetery on their 35-acre Angel Rock Ranch near Del Norte. Her father was onboard with the idea of being buried there, due, in part, to cost concerns. KimAnna Cellura-Shields, left, and her father, Charles Cellura, are shown in a copy of a family photo. Charles Cellura's two dogs were buried next to him at Angel Rock Ranch, one on each side, when they passed away a few months after their master's death.Mike researched the plan and found they could do it legally."It was the most natural thing and the best way," Cellura-Shields said. "I feel so comforted by it."In Colorado, depending on where you live, residents are allowed to bury a loved one on their private property. But there are restrictions in doing so, such as lot size, closeness to water and how deep a body can be buried. Still, it's an option as long as you meet certain criteria."You can't bury grandma in the backyard in Highlands Ranch," said Douglas County Coroner Lora Thomas.State law was vague as to who could do what and where until a new law went into effect last year. It gave guidelines for interring someone on private property. For example, the law required that the burial be recorded with the county within 30 days of burial, and the name of the property owner also must be recorded. A global positioning system must be used to mark the exact location of the body. Counties and municipalities were then allowed to place further restrictions.Elbert County this year passed a green burial ordinance. Among other things, it required that a body can only be buried on land that is at least 35 acres in size and zoned agricultural.Assistant Elbert County Coroner Sandy Graeff said the law was necessary so that if a body is uncovered on private property, it can be identified. At least three families in Elbert County have buried a loved one on their land recently."It's becoming more and more common because of the extreme expense of funerals," Graeff said. "We don't want to stop people from doing what they want with their loved ones. We just want to be able to track it." In Douglas County, for example, the land someone is buried in must be at least 40 acres. Denver County does not allow burial on private property. Larimer County does permit a natural burial on private property, said Coroner Patrick Allen, who is head of the Colorado Coroners Association. Among other things, it must be at least 10 feet from the boundary of a property. Headstones are encouraged but not required.  Allen said he sees about one natural burial a year in Larimer County.In Denver, which doesn't even allow someone to bury a dog in a backyard, there hasn't been a request for a natural burial on private property for several decades, said Michelle Weiss-Samaras, director of operations for the Denver Medical Examiner's Office.But that's not surprising in an urban area, she said, since there aren't large tracts of land to bury a family member.Denver doesn't have an ordinance on the books regarding burying someone on private property. But after The Denver Post inquired about natural burials, Weiss-Samaras said Denver is going to consider a measure that would allow them only in designated cemeteries."It's not going to be in your backyard," Weiss-Samaras said.Going the true green burial route is a choice to be more environmentally conscious, said Karen van Vuuren, executive director of the Boulder nonprofit  Natural Transitions, a resource center for green and holistic ends of life. Chemicals such as embalming fluid aren't used, and neither are vaults typically made of cement or fiberglass to prevent the earth from sinking around the body. A plain wooden casket is OK, but not required. Some families are even choosing to have visitations and funerals at home as well, she said."That's where the family is taking charge," van Vuuren said. "They're owning the care of their loved one when they die. That means doing virtually everything."And that is what is so appealing about natural burials, said Joe Sehee, founder of the Green Burial Council.It's difficult to pinpoint numbers as to how many people have had green or natural burials. There's no clearinghouse that keeps tabs on the practice. But Sehee points to a 2007 study by AARP that found that 21 percent of people 50 or older had a preference for a green burial. At Angel Rock Ranch on April 4, 2012, Cellura-Shields picked up her father's body from hospice, put him on a cot with his head on a pillow and wrapped his body in a "really pretty quilt," she said.About 10 friends met them at the ranch, and they went in procession, with Frank Sinatra songs — Charles' favorite — playing on a boombox, to the grave site, which they oriented toward the rock face that resembles an angel. They placed Charles on a bed of soft straw in the ground, then placed more straw on top of him, and each person filled the grave with dirt.Afterward, they had a bonfire and told stories about him."If I ever need to talk or I'm sad or super happy, I can walk over there and sit down," she said. "He's so close to me."Charles Cellura's two dogs were buried next to him, one on each side when they passed away a few months after their master's death.Six of the 10 people who attended Cellura's funeral and burial said they want to be buried at Angel Rock Ranch as well when they die."My father is now the first angel on Angel Rock Ranch," Cellura-Shields said. "He's buried facing the rock. It's very sweet."  
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