The trend of going green is one that is highlighted even more on Earth Day. But some go the extra mile, taking environmental consciousness to their grave.

 

Ken Zeserson's stepmother's final wish in September 2014 was to be laid to rest without a casket, headstone or embalming. So instead of a traditional burial, she was wrapped in Irish blankets and branches at Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve in Newfield, NY.

 

Greensprings offers alternative burials that are not only simple, but affordable and safe for the environment.

 

Despite exposure to the idea from the HBO show "Six Feet Under" in 2004, only a few states have opened up to alternative burials.

 

Kerry Potter-Kotecki, a host on WRCR Radio in Ramapo, wants to bring an alternative burial cemetery to Rockland County, citing the land's ability to still be used for other events.

 

Kotecki says that land preservation hasn't been a priority in Rockland, but a green cemetery could provide an answer.

 

At Greensprings, alternatives are utilized, even including a recent wedding on their land.

 

Greensprings offer several options alongside burial in blanket, including a biodegradable pine casket, an eco-pod where a body becomes the root of a tree or a burial suit that helps the body decompose.

 

For Koetcki, her plan is to create a green cemetery at the size of about 30 acres in Rockland.

 

For now, smaller-scaled green options for burials can be found nearby at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.