Australian Cemetery Going Green

An Australian cemetery will plant a tree for each burial or cremation it conducts to offset carbon emissions, its chief executive said Monday.

The decision by Adelaide's Centennial Park in South Australia follows a study on the environmental impacts of cremations and burials.

''We want to add some benefit to the community,'' chief executive Bryan Elliott said. ''Our aim is to be carbon neutral within the next six months.''

The cemetery's study found that cremation produced less carbon emissions in the long run because of the ongoing upkeep of the burial site. A cremation at the cemetery generates about 353 pounds of carbon dioxide, compared to 86 pounds of a burial, the study showed.

''However, when the long-term environmental footprint is considered, burials at Centennial Park have a 10 per cent greater impact than cremations,'' Elliott said. ''Burial is a more labor and resource intensive process.''

The research showed that planting at least one tree for each service would offset Centennial Park's carbon footprint.

Elliott said the cemetery would commission a reforestation organization to plant the trees where they would be most useful.