The Natural Funeral

The Natural Funeral is a funeral home that focuses on eco-friendly methods of burial, as well as products based on natural materials rather than chemical or manufactured ones. They also source local artists for their cremation urns, having a varied selection of wood, ceramic, even gourds. Each one is created individually and they’re all unique to themselves. They also get coffins from a casket maker in Longmont who sources his wood from the pine beetle forests, where using the wood doesn’t hurt the forest surrounding it.

When someone dies, the people closest to them who plan the funeral usually don’t look all over through various different funeral homes. Often, they choose a home that advertises itself well to them and stay with it. The Natural Funeral believes it’s important to choose a home that aligns itself with your values, allowing your loved one to be buried or cremated in a way that more deeply respects who they were in life.

Karen Van Vuuren is a managing partner with Natural Funeral. “There is a lot that’s happening, and nationally there are a number of green burial cemeteries. Our local cemeteries here in Boulder county offer some shades of green, so, we’ve worked with families where there’s a big vault that goes over the grave, which is to protect the land from sinking when they want to mow the lawn. These are plastic or fiberglass and they are kind of typical for American cemeteries, in a green cemetery you don’t have that necessarily, and the body is never embalmed.”

The funeral home has a gift shop, with local art, candles, and many different things that can be appealing to people who aren’t facing death. There is also a library focused on books addressing grief, the end of life, and growing old. On top of that, they have a community room, which may be used for community seminars and educational events. In the future, the home might also be hosting events featuring yoga. “We want to have events that are not just actually about death, but are events that allow for reflection on life.”

The Natural Funeral is hosting an open house with high tea on Friday, March 1, 3PM-8PM; Saturday, March 2, 11AM-6PM and Sunday, March 3, 11AM – 6PM at their premises at 102 W, Chester St, Lafayette CO 80026.

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