Transcript From Our Video Interview with Ed Bixby at Green Burial Council.
Heather:
Hi everyone. And thanks for checking in with us at Funeral Innovations Trends, Tips, and Technology, where we chat with leaders in the profession to discuss marketing trends, business tips, and technology innovation. Plus, we talk about how marketing helps you better serve your families. I’m Heather Mierzejewski. I am the Marketing Director here at Funeral Innovations.
Alex:
And I’m Alex McCracken. I’m VP of sales here at Funeral Innovations.
Heather:
And today we have Ed Bixby. He is the president of the Green Burial Council to talk to us a little bit about his businesses, the Green Burial Council, and where the industry is going. Thanks so much for being here, Ed,
Ed:
Thank you very much for having me. It’s my pleasure. My name is Ed. I’m with the Green Burial Council. I’ve been involved with Green Burial Council since 2008. We are the standard-bearers of the burial for the funeral industry and for the consumer. And I’m also the owner and operator of a company called Destination Destiny. We have five natural burial properties across the nation.
Heather:
So Ed, can you tell us a little bit more about the Green Burial Council and what all is involved with the Green Burial Council or what your missions and objectives are.
Ed:
Sure, absolutely. The Green Burial Council was created and not only to help set the bar for the funeral industry when it comes to environmental death care practices but also to protect the consumer and educate. Meaning that when you become a member of the Green Burial Council, we have a set of standards that you must meet and requirements so that you can be sure that you are committed to the industry, committed to the movement, and committed to the consumer. And when I say standards, things like protecting and preserving particular parcels or plots of your lands and having an environmental plan in place, you know, how you can deal with the conservation of that land. And, and we do not use embalming or chemicals or things like that. It’s really about nature and going back naturally.
Heather:
Yeah. Can you just define a little bit more what green burial means and is there one definition or could it be a whole host of things?
Ed:
Well, a green burial basically means that you’re not using anything that would be toxic or detrimental to the environment in the process itself. It also means it means many things, but it also means good stewardship for future generations and for the forest or for the natural environment we live in. And, and also oddly enough you know, green burial really means that the family are embracing the death of their loved one by that’s a very large part of what we do to be part of that process and to be surrounded by nature during that process is a very cathartic experience. And what it allows the families to do is truly celebrate the life that was lived in an environment that doesn’t feel so grief-stricken. So it has many, many different definitions, but that would probably cover the basics of natural or green burial.
Alex:
What is the growth of this been like? I mean, I know we, we hear a lot about it talking to different funeral homes and, and consumers, but I’m just curious if we have a more section of view of the green burial industry, and maybe you can talk a little bit about the growth and what you project in the future with this type of growth and the knowledge that everyday consumers have about it.
Ed:
Sure, absolutely. I mean, you know, when this first started 15 years ago, you know, obviously it was a very niche option something people were seeking out and there were very few places offering it, but the irony, the situation is simple, simple burial as a funeral professional would call it has existed since the Dawn of time. So every natural burial cemetery, every regular traditional cemetery can offer what is called simple burials. Simple burial means burial without a bolt. Doesn’t mean burial without embalming. I mean, you could still embalm, but it’s something that the funeral industry has been practicing all along. It’s not something completely new but the concept of creating a green space for the living that can be enjoyed by the living and be the final statement in one’s life for the ones who are buried there, that concept isn’t new.
So over the years, it’s been a slow progression. People have really benefited by experiencing the growth has been slow because a lot of the funeral directors in the funeral industry they didn’t say no to offer me if they just weren’t being asked for the option. Now that more people have actually been, been at a loved ones variable and experienced this that is given them a new perspective as to how they should, you know, possibly look at what they would want for their own death. So my feeling is that, you know, the real growth has been in the last four or five years exponential because so many people now have actually experienced this process. And with that, they’ll ask the funeral professional for it. And the beauty of natural burial is also that we’re taking a customer base that might otherwise choose cremation only because they didn’t want a traditional burial based upon certain services that they didn’t require, or so that’s been a great growth spurt for the movement.
And the funeral professional now is getting a list for it. And I don’t believe that any funeral professional, whatever, not try to accommodate a family by providing a service to them in particular, a service that not only is very beneficial spiritually but beneficial monetarily for the business itself, because, unlike a direct cremation, you are now going back to what you were originally intending to do. When you dealing with families, one-on-one bringing the service back to the funeral home, opposed to taking the memorialization out of. So ironically cremation has become such a large part of the funeral industry, what people do. And this is reversing the trend a little bit, which I think is, is great. I’m sure the funeral provider appreciates that as well.
Heather:
That’s great. And that leads right into my next question. And I actually have a follow-up question about what you just said about cremation is cremation a green process. If people are saying, I really want a green burial, does cremation fit in that?
Ed:
No, it really doesn’t, but, but this is the way I’ve done things. And I think you guys would appreciate this as well. What I understand cremation obviously is that, of course, you’re using a large amount of natural resources to create this process, and that will create a carbon footprint, obviously where the land of the frayed and it’s about options. So I would never say one that you know, what they’ve done is not good, you know, that’s not what we’re here to do, but what we’re saying in natural burial now is that, and what you do with those remains after you’ve done the cremation process is, is entirely up to you in the sense that maybe you can take those remains and plant a tree in memoriam, you know, to bring them memorialization back to the family. And that the carbon offset of that tree be to the footprint of a cremation processes. So it’s about educating the public and being able to fulfill their wishes in a good way, but it’s not something that is, you know, an environmentally friendly process.
Heather:
That makes a lot of sense. And I think a lot of people don’t realize that, you know, they need to be educated about how cremation fits into a green ethos. So then my next question is how can a traditional funeral home or cemetery incorporate green burial options into their existing business if they don’t want to become a solely green burial focus?
Ed:
Okay, well, that’s, you know, and that’s really important. This is a very important question. Every single funeral provider should not only consider it, but they should offer this to their families because it’s very simple to do again. It’s not that you have to have to say to yourself, I just want to offer the strictly I mean, no one wants someone to come into the door and leave because you can’t provide them the service that you’re seeking. So, I mean, it makes all the sense in the world and you don’t have to overcommit that, or really change your business model in any way. I just have to embrace something new. So if the family comes in and they say, you know, I would like a direct cremation, or I would like to come to the tree, really the hardest thing for them to do is to go and find a facility that would possibly allow framing of a tree with, you know, with the remains, but with the growth of the natural burial industry, now that’s becoming much easier. So it’s really not that hard of a process. The, probably the largest obstacle the funeral industry would have, would be finding what would be considered true, natural burial preserves or conservation burial grounds, because those are not as easily accessible or achievable in modern day right now, because it’s not easy to create a cemetery, but hybrid models or traditional cemeteries that allow natural burial- it happens all the time. And I would, I would dare to say that within probably within driving distance of every funeral home in the entire country, there is a location that they could serve their families, and they may just not know. So it’s just a little bit of research and to be a little open minded and be ahead of the curve, because if you can create a customer base, now you have to understand that what’s, life-changing about, this is the actual celebration itself, the living human beings who go and attend this, they are your new customer base.
And they’re going to look to you and say, wow, I have been completely moved by this. This is what I want, and this guy can provide it. So they have to, they have to remember them. That’s how we’re recapturing, you know, the funeral industry, unfortunately, has suffered, I believe unjustly over the years because people make decisions when they’re under duress, and later on, they regret their decisions. The beauty of natural burial is it feels so good. It really is changing the image of the funeral provider. They’re looking at them and not imagining them as the guys who don’t have any emotion, but they’re saying, well, he’s just like you and I, he has a family. He’s part of the community. So it’s really, it’s a win-win situation, no matter. Anyway,
Alex:
If you’re doing organic farming, you have an actual certification process that you have to go to get tagged as an organic farm. I’m wondering if there’s anything like that for the green burial movement or the natural burial movement. Do you have a certification process or are there little things that people can do just to get their foot in the door to start offering these services to their families?
Ed:
Absolutely. And that’s a very good question. Part of what the Green Burial Council is, and what we do is twofold. We are a C6, which is a designation from the IRS, the C6 non-profits certification organization, which provides certification and sets the bar and the standards in the funeral industry for eco-friendly funeral options. So yes, we can certify funeral providers so they can offer these products and we can make that we can make them more readily available through our networking, to the consumers seeking this product. The C3 organization, which is our consumer education organization, is the organization that, you know, is non-profit that educates the public. So we’re doing a dual fold you know service here. And for instance, if you were going to be a certified funeral home, that’s not really all that difficult to achieve, basically, what we say this, you know, on your general price list, you must list natural burial. You must do cemetery services without use of them. Not all I’m just me, you know, in the natural room. And you must be able to provide a product, you know, a burial product and your container to the customer when they come to you. So to become a certified funeral director, it really is the easiest process of them all.
Now to become a cemetery. If you’re a hybrid model, it can be relatively easily done, because you can take a small section dedicated strictly for natural burial and create that space. But you can still, it’s still business as usual within the cemetery itself, concerning tradition. There is a thing called a natural barrier grabber conservation burial ground. These are harder to achieve because there’s a lot of environmental reports that go into it, concerning plant license and animal life and, and water conditions and, and deed restrictions. We must, you know, you must need restrict and not allow certain. So that’s a little harder and a little more of a commitment. And then as far as the products are concerned. We have products too, and that’s just a matter of what the products are made of as long as they’re sustainable and a hundred percent biodegradable you know, they can be part of this as well.
Heather:
That’s great. And one thing, you know, when I was doing research for this, that I discovered is how much energy producing cement takes and how, you know, you think that, well, that should be sustainable because it lasts for so long, but really it’s super environmentally problematic. So really good information for the public to know if they’re committed to a green burial. My next question is how do you suggest that firms tell their families about this option? So what sort of marketing should they do for their green burial services?
Ed:
I think the most important thing to them to do would be to allow the family to understand that they can be an active participant within this service or celebration. So, from a marketing standpoint, it’s really much more about a simpler return. You know, everyone dies. We know this. Some people want more than others. Some people really don’t want any fanfare, or they just really want to go out without anyone even knowing. And the simplicity of what we do the flexibility of how we do it, you know, allowing people you know, not being on a set schedule, you know, really allowing them to process and be part of the process there for the funeral director. It’s just, it’s strange for them in ways because they’re so used to being the person, directing the family and keeping, you know, possibly a schedule or a routine.
That’s the hard part I find with directors initially, is to let go of that because, you know, there’s a lot of responsibility involved and they want to be sure things go the way they should go. But what they’re going to find is when they allow this process to unfold, allow the families to dissipate, they find a greater there’s. It’s very hard to explain unless one of them was explaining it to. It’s strangely satisfying and in a way that eases their concerns you know, where they’re not really so worried about the family, what they’re doing, because it unfolds, you know, people just naturally do. So I think when the families come in, what they need to do is say, here is a different option that allows you to do things the way you would like to do it. And if you would like a pine casket, you can do that. If you would like a biodegradable trail you can do that. And, you know, the cost really a lot of people will say, “is it cheaper than a conventional burial?” Of course, it’s one, you know, there’s going to be some cost savings there, but it will never be like the cost savings of a direct cremation. And the services that the funeral director provides. And I tell families this all the time, you’re not really making money with the products or with the service as far as embalming, but what you’re doing is of course you’re facilitating you’re procuring permits. So there are lots of things for the funeral director to be able to put into their service, make it a very not only attractive option for the family, but an attractive option for them to provide even for their bottom line.
Alex:
That’s great. Ya I appreciate that. And as I understand, you have a lot of different green businesses.
Ed:
Yeah, that’s correct. We have essentially we created a company called Destination Destiny, and the purpose of that company is to be a one-stop shop eco-friendly option business. You know, we offer sea scattering, natural burial, tree of life- which is the planting of trees in memory of people, memorial reefs, you know, the reefs rebuilding to coral reefs. And now we’re actually talking to to some individuals about offering some natural organic conduction and we’re even working into creating programs to counsel people, how to go through the process when a loved one passes away you know, prearrangement, not everyone has the foresight to prearrange and you know, we do it on a daily basis. We realize how lost people are when this happens. And we want to create a service that not only serves the natural burial consumer, but all consumers, because it’s the least we can do. You know, you have to be able to connect the right people together to make everyone at the end of the day, feel good about the outcome.
Heather:
And Ed, remind us where you’re located.
Ed:
So we have, I have a couple of different homes, but that’s because of necessity with the businesses, my primary home is in New Jersey. And we have a cemetery in Southern New Jersey, which is a natural burial preserve. And then I have a home in a place called Placerville, California, which is believe it or not a hybrid model cemetery, which offers every type of mausoleum burial, cremation, you know, niches, everything you can imagine. And the reason I have become bi-coastal, but because I’ve done what I’ve done. So you guys know, as we talk about the growth of natural barrier you know, five years ago, I was burying so many people in New Jersey who had absolutely no affiliation had never even been to the state, but it wasn’t because of the property. It was because of the process because of the way we were doing it. And people had, you know, it was, it was our reputation and we decided to lead by example and grow this model everywhere if we can, you know, help people rel it, because that’s how it, you know, it will become the third option. I believe someday we’ll be right there with traditional cremation.
Heather:
Interesting. So with all of this, you’re pretty far along in adopting this and moving across the country, and here’s how you actually started this and how you got into, to green burial. And, and what, what really was the calling that led you there?
Ed:
It’s a great question. You know, I’ve done a lot of things in my life, but I’ve always been an entrepreneur. I started a business at 17 and, you know, I did that for so many years. And then I became a real estate broker and a developer and built homes for 25 years. And you know, I had always had a family cemetery that my brother was buried in, located in the Pine Barrens forest in Southern New Jersey. My family came here in 1680s. We’ve been in this country for a very long time. And it had fallen into deep disrepair. So when I approached the owner only because it bothered my mother because of the condition of the burial ground, where my brother was buried with hundreds of my relatives from the civil war to modern-day, the individual basically made me a strange proposition.
He said, you know, how about I give you the cemetery? I’m the type of guy that likes to take responsibility for things that need to be cared for. So I said, you know what? I will take it, but not to be a cemeterian and I’ll just thought I would clean it up and mow the grass for the rest of my life and make my mother feel happy. After I took it and I cleaned it up, I read an article that natural burial, realized that there was a new life or opportunity for that cemetery. And that’s how I became cemeterian. And by complete happenstance. But I think what makes me different than most in what I think the funeral industry really needed was they needed someone to approach this with the mindset of a consumer, everything that I’ve done, I’ve done only because I looked at it like, what would I want for myself?
What would I want for my children? I wasn’t professionally schooled in, you know, in this profession. So I didn’t, it wasn’t like a textbook model. And what I’ve learned is that the satisfaction that I, that I can see from helping families and restoring these historical gems that lay, you know, in, in weighting across this country, meaning historical cemeteries, that some people may believe have no value, but they had tremendous value has led me to you know, to retirement from the building business. Now I’m doing what, what feels right and feels good to me. That’s how I got here.
Heather:
That’s great. And an unexpected way into the profession. I’ll move on to our last question. What would you say is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from serving in this profession?
Ed:
I think the biggest lesson that I’ve learned is that all of us, every single one of us has the ability to care for our loved ones in death. We may believe we’re not strong enough. We may believe we can’t handle it. We may believe that others need the reports, but at the end of the day, you should be able to care for your loved ones, the way you cared for them in life. We have been caring for our dead since the dawn of time. It’s in our DNA. People don’t believe they possess the ability to do this. When I talked to them about their children and their children who have passed and they’re devastated. And I say to them, remember, they’re always with you. As long as you live, as long as you see you carry with them for the rest of your life, they live forever.
So celebrate the life that was lived by caring for them in death. Like we cared for them in life. And when you are able to release that burden from an individual, when you can allow them to be part of that process, and you can see the pain wash away, that’s when you understand this is what we should be doing. This is the white old shouldn’t be done. And, and I don’t want to say anything about traditional burial saying that that takes that away from them, because it certainly helps me, but this process is it’s very, very different and it unlocks this innate ability to be able to cope with death and celebrate someone’s life and not get hung up in a place where you can never recover from. So that’s what I’ve taken from it. And that’s what I believe is the true message. And of course, the environmental part is a wonderful benefit. How can you not get behind supporting you know future generations, you know? But, but what it does for us within our hearts and souls is what it has done for me. And that’s what I’ve taken from this process.
Alex:
I love that. And really appreciate you sharing passion behind this and hearing your history. For all of you out there, if you want any more information, you can go to greenburialcouncil.org. Ed and his council have tons of information and anything about the certification process there. If you’d like to stay up to date on any of our other Trends, Tips, and Technology videos, you can go to youtube.com/funeralinnovations, where we have plenty of other topics. We want to thank you, Ed Bixby, with the Green Burial Council for being on the TTT interview today. Appreciate your insight. And we’ll catch you all on another episode of TTT.
Heather:
Thanks so much, Ed. We really appreciate it.
