Natural Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery
Natural or ‘ green ’ burial – which requires that everything going into the grave is biodegradable - is welcome at Mount Auburn Cemetery .
How does Mount Auburn define natural burial ?
A natural burial at Mount Auburn takes place in a grave that is approximately four feet in depth and not lined with a concrete box , sometimes referred to as a grave liner .
Most of these grave sites are located within the ‘ historic core ’ where they are surrounded by mature trees and monuments from the 19th and early 20th centuries .
Individual monuments are generally not allowed with natural burials , but some locations include inscprition rights on a shared memorial located nearby . All natural burials allow for memorialiaztion through our Memorial Trees program .
Each grave is given a unique number and indicated by an aluminum marker placed at the foot of the grave .
At the time of burial , a lowering device with a framework around all edges of the grave is required for safety and liability reasons . This device is removed prior to closing the grave .