October 2021

Page A41 OCTOBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A Green Burial Council to Host “Green Life, Death & Future,” a Virtual Conference, October 21-28, offering a Front Row Seat to Learn All Things Green Burial PLACERVILLE,CA—The Green Burial Council (GBC), a non-profit organization that inspires and advocates for en- vironmentally sustainable, natural death care through edu- cation and certification, will host its second annual Green Burial Conference virtually through Zoom on October 21 through October 28. This year’s event will include a full slate of deep learning for green burial advocates and operators. There will also be two days of programming for the general public who are interested in learning more about green burial. Other los Gonzalez of Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery near Gainesville, FL, will speak about “The Next Genera- tion of Deathcare Workers.” On October 26 topics in “Technology & Science” will be covered. For October 27, the sessions will discuss “Earth’s Green Future” and the conference will close on October 28 with a focus on the “Personal & Cultural As- pects of Green Burial.” The GBC is expanding its offerings of support and edu- cation to the next generation of funeral directors and cem- eterians. The conference will include a commitment to the future through its Aspiring Practitioners Program (APP). This new initiative will bring a select group of mortuary science students to the conference at no charge. Mortuary students and organizations or individuals inter- ested in taking part in this program can apply here. To learn more and register to attend the 2021 Green Burial Conference, Green Life, Death & Future, visit https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/conference.html new initiatives leading up to this year’s event include so- cial media giveaways for li- censed funeral directors and an Aspiring Practitioners Program for mortuary sci- ence students. With the eco-con- scious population growing throughout the U.S. and the world, this multi-day event will feature death care industry leaders discussing important topics relevant to green burial. “We couldn’t be more ex- cited to gather this slate of industry professionals to discuss the future of green burial,” said Jane Black , vice president of the Green Buri- al Council Board of Direc- tors. “Following last year’s success with more than 250 attendees, we look forward to hosting a conference that everyone can access virtual- ly, with interesting and rele- vant information for attend- ees of all backgrounds.” On October 21, the event will kick off with a free, 45-minute program for ev- eryone who is “green burial curious.” On Sunday, Octo- ber 24, the second day will feature four engaging ses- sions. Green Burial experts, Kimberly C. Paul , Melis- sa N. Unfred , John Nied- feldt-Thomas , Rachel Es- sig , Jodie Buller and Holly Pruett will provide an over- view of sustainable options and innovative end-of-life services that can radically reduce our environmental footprint when we die. Attendees will learn about types of services, cemeter- ies and vessels that are avail- able, and the assurances that GBC Certification of- fers. Hear the practicalities and benefits of being more hands-on when it comes to handling any or all as- pects of arrangements af- ter a death. Each session will include a Q&A period with these experienced pro- fessionals who have helped hundreds of families under- stand their options. On October 25, the top- ic will be “Growing the Movement.” Members of the SE Ohio Natural Buri- al Working Group — Nata- lie Wilson , Cheryl Cesta , Wenda Sheard and Star- Mary Castro —will dis- cuss their experiences in “Getting Governments & Communities On- board for Green Burials.” Laura Faessel and Ma- ria St. Clair of Penn For- est Natural Burial Park , with Mary Ann Perry of the Forest Conserva- tion Burial Ground in Ashland, OR, and Car- at NFDA in Nashville VISIT OUR BOOTH #1502