The research includes an overview of the environmental impacts of burial and cremation practices and the benefits of green burials. Additionally, the study investigates why green burial has not been more widely implemented and offers insight to increase the adoption of this alternative within the United States. A mixed-methods approach of individual interviews and a survey with consumers was utilized. The goals were to identify the awareness, perceptions, attitudes, and reported behaviors of adult consumers regarding their knowledge of green and traditional funeral practices and to gain an understanding of decision making when dealing with death. Interview findings indicate that there was little to no awareness of green burials. However, exposure to the concept raised interest. Additionally, findings indicated that in the face of grief and loss, the environmental impact of traditional practices of burial and cremation was not considered. A positive finding supporting the adoption of green burials was confirmed by survey respondents universally reporting that they would consider a green burial after exposure to the concept. Together, these findings suggest that raising awareness and educating consumers of this alternative to traditional methods could lead to increased adoption of green burials within the United States.
