Eco Friendly Memorial Services

Honoring a Life, Preserving the Planet: Eco Friendly Memorial Services by Burial at Sea

As society becomes increasingly conscious of environmental impact, more individuals are choosing to live and depart in ways that reflect sustainability and respect for nature.

At Burial at Sea, we understand that honoring a loved one’s memory should not come at the cost of the planet. That’s why we proudly offer eco friendly memorial services that celebrate life while protecting the world they cherished.

Whether you’re planning ahead or arranging a tribute for someone dear, this guide will walk you through meaningful and sustainable memorial options that are both elegant and eco-conscious.

What is an Eco Friendly Funeral?

An eco friendly memorial service is a heartfelt celebration of life designed to minimize environmental harm. It encompasses every element from the location and decor to the food and burial method, ensuring that each choice aligns with the values of conservation and sustainability.

At Burial at Sea, we specialize in memorials that embrace the serenity of the ocean while upholding the principles of ecological responsibility. We tailor our services from biodegradable urns to sea dispersals that meet EPA standards for families who seek meaning, beauty, and minimal environmental impact.

Sustainable Cremation Options

Cremation, when chosen carefully, can be a greener alternative to traditional burial. Standard cremation emits fewer pollutants than embalming and vault burials, and skips the use of toxic chemicals and metal caskets.

Water Cremation (Alkaline Hydrolysis)

For those seeking an even lower-impact solution, water cremation, or alkaline hydrolysis, is gaining popularity.

This method uses a water-based process to return the body to nature gently and cleanly, producing fewer emissions and using significantly less energy than flame-based cremation.

Biodegradable Urns: Returning to Nature, Gracefully

When choosing cremation, opt for a biodegradable urn. These are crafted from natural materials like recycled paper, sand, bamboo, or salt. At Burial at Sea, we offer urns that are specially designed for water dispersal, ensuring full dissolution within minutes or hours, without polluting the ocean.

Eco Friendly Funeral Services

Hold the Service in a Natural Setting

Instead of a traditional indoor venue, consider holding the memorial in a coastal preserve, forest, garden, or at sea. Outdoor locations eliminate the need for electricity, air conditioning, and artificial lighting, aligning the tribute with nature itself.

Burial at Sea ceremonies provide a peaceful, organic setting amid open waters, offering emotional closure and spiritual tranquility.

Use Local, Seasonal Flowers

Imported flowers carry a high carbon footprint. Instead, decorate the ceremony with local, in-season flora to support nearby growers and reduce transportation emissions.

Native flowers also harmonize with the surrounding environment and attract beneficial pollinators, adding beauty and biodiversity.

Send Digital Invitations and Memorial Pages

Replace printed cards with digital invitations and create an online memorial page. These platforms allow guests to share memories, images, and messages, building a living tribute accessible anytime, anywhere. Burial at Sea can assist in building and hosting these digital spaces as part of your service package.

Serve Plant-Based, Locally Sourced Food

At the post-service gathering, serve vegetarian or vegan meals using organic, local ingredients. Incorporate compostable plates and utensils to further reduce waste. This thoughtful gesture underscores the values of the deceased and encourages attendees to consider their own ecological choices.

Encourage Sustainable Travel for Attendees

Transportation is a significant source of emissions. Encourage guests to carpool, use public transit to the ceremony site. This reduces traffic, emissions, and parking needs while reinforcing the memorial’s sustainability theme.

Make a Charitable Impact in Their Honor

Instead of flowers, invite attendees to donate to environmental charities or marine conservation programs. These contributions can help fund ocean cleanup initiatives, support reef restoration efforts, or promote the protection of endangered marine life, creating a lasting legacy that aligns with your loved one’s values and love for nature.

Plant a Tree in Remembrance

Tree-planting ceremonies are a powerful, hands-on way to turn remembrance into regeneration. Planting a tree in your loved one’s name offers long-lasting beauty, provides wildlife habitat, and supports carbon sequestration. It’s a living memorial that grows with time, just like the love and memories left behind.

The History and Traditions of Burial at Sea

Burial at sea is a sacred and time-honoured tradition that spans thousands of years and cultures around the globe. From the ancient civilisations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome to the island nations of the South Pacific, the practice of laying loved ones to rest in the ocean has deep spiritual and cultural roots.

Ancient Civilisations and Oceanic Farewells

In the Pacific Islands, the deceased were often wrapped in red cloth and placed in a canoe before being released into the open sea. These ceremonies were not only an act of farewell but also a means of returning the spirit to the vast and eternal waters from which life originated.

Cultural Practices from the Solomon Islands to South Asia

In the Solomon Islands, it was customary for some to leave the departed on coral reefs, offering their remains to the ocean’s ecosystem, where even sharks played a symbolic role in the cycle of life and death.

Across much of Asia, sea burials continue to be a common ritual, particularly in India, where Hindus traditionally scatter ashes in the sacred waters of the River Ganges. The belief in water as a purifier and spiritual conveyor shapes many of these enduring customs.

Viking and Norse Ship Burials

The Vikings, known for their profound reverence for nature and the sea, introduced ship burials when they reached the British Isles around 700 A.D. These burials typically took place on land, with the vessel either set ablaze or buried beneath earthen mounds.

Norse mythology speaks of ships set aflame and cast into the waves, an act symbolic of releasing the soul to the afterlife, even if archaeological evidence remains limited.

British Naval Sea Burials and Maritime Rituals

In more recent history, British naval traditions shaped modern sea burial practices. Unlike the French and Spanish navies, which often preserved bodies aboard until a land burial could be arranged, the British Royal Navy developed solemn ceremonies at sea.

Sailmakers or their assistants would stitch the body into a sailcloth shroud, commonly finishing the final stitch through the nose to ensure death had truly occurred.

In the 19th century, hammocks were used in place of shrouds, and weights like lead shot were sewn into the fabric to help the body descend swiftly into the ocean’s depths. The captain would typically lead a brief but dignified service before the body was committed to the sea, feet first.

Modern Evolution into Eco Friendly Memorials

These timeless customs reveal the deep reverence many cultures hold for the sea, not only as a force of nature but also as a final resting place that connects the physical and spiritual worlds. Today, this ancient practice has evolved into eco friendly memorial services, allowing families to honour their loved ones with both dignity and environmental responsibility.

Benefits of Eco Friendly Burials

Green burials minimise environmental disruption by avoiding the use of concrete vaults, non-biodegradable materials, and toxic chemicals commonly found in traditional funerals.

For example, conventional embalming fluids often contain formaldehyde, a known carcinogen that can pose health risks to mortuary professionals and leach into surrounding soil. In contrast, eco-burials use natural methods that allow the body to return to the sea gracefully and without harm.

Another key advantage of eco friendly burials is their minimal and temporary impact on the land. Unlike traditional cemeteries, which quickly reach capacity and often demand the development of new plots that permanently occupy valuable space, green burial sites follow a more sustainable design.

Future generations may repurpose these natural spaces for conservation or choose to protect them, helping prevent overdevelopment and safeguarding the land from commercial use.

At Burial at Sea, families are increasingly turning to eco friendly memorial services as a meaningful and sustainable way to honour their loved ones. These green alternatives offer numerous benefits not only for the environment but also for future generations and the integrity of our natural landscapes.

Scattering of Ashes at Sea: A Personal and Peaceful Farewell

Scattering cremated remains at sea is a timeless and serene way to say goodbye. At Burial at Sea, we guide families through respectful and personalised ash scattering ceremonies designed to honour each individual’s spirit and connection to the ocean.

Families choose ash scattering for a variety of reasons. Many people value its environmental harmony, while others admire the simplicity and freedom it offers over traditional religious rites.

For many, the sea holds deep personal meaning, whether tied to memories, heritage, or a lifelong love for nature and open water.

Our team helps you plan every detail of your scattering ceremony, from choosing the ideal location to observing maritime laws and best practices. Each farewell is conducted aboard a U.S. Coast Guard-certified vessel departing from one of our Southern California harbors, ensuring the ceremony is carried out with dignity, care, and reverence amid the open sea.

Eco Friendly Sea Burials in Southern California

Whether you’re planning a ceremony in Long Beach, San Pedro, Santa Catalina Island, Point Fermin, or Point Vicente, the team at Burial at Sea is here to ensure that every element of the memorial reflects your loved one’s wishes, while honouring the timeless beauty and ecological significance of the ocean.

Rooted in centuries of global tradition and shaped by today’s sustainability values, our eco-friendly sea burial services offer a meaningful way to say goodbye.

Serving families across Southern California from our base in the San Pedro/Long Beach area, we specialise in creating respectful, elegant, and environmentally conscious farewells that speak to both the heart and the planet.

To learn more or begin planning a green tribute that reflects your loved one’s values, contact us at (310) 714-0548 or complete our online contact form. Our compassionate team is here to guide you with care, clarity, and respect.

Let us help you create a legacy of peace, remembrance, and reverence for your loved one and for the ocean they return to.