Get Buried In Maine’s First Conservation Cemetery

A new wave of resting in peace for eternity has American's conscientious of the environment. It's called green cemeteries and Maine's first green cemetery has opened up for those wanting to make less of an impact on the environment while laying for eternity in the ground of Maine.

The Baldwin Hill Conservation Cemetery opened last month and is considered a nonprofit that manages local burial contractors and funeral homes. The location is a part of Kennebec Land Trust and holds 90 acres of land that is in view of the hills of Fayette.

The land serves as a conservation spot that will be the home for the forest, plants, wildlife, and, well, your body, while also allowing the natural ecosystem to be preserved and relatively undisturbed.

These cemeteries, eliminate, skip or add elements to the burial process that create a more conscious effort to be environmentally friendly, such as utilizing caskets without varnish or biodegradable shrouds.

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Other cemeteries, such as the Baldwin Hill Conservation Cemetery, can be certified as 'Conservation' cemeteries which requires approval by the Green Burial Council and has additional requirements to a 'green cemetery' that include the size of the cemetery and how it's managed.

The cemetery encourages natural, full-body burials. First dibs on plots goes to Kennebec Land Trust members and Fayette residents. The cost for their plots is $1000 per lot. The rest of us have to wait for public sale and rate which is looking to be $1200 per lot.

A third of the cost of the lot will go to maintenance costs for the land and cemetery.

Find out more about the Baldwin Hill Conservation Cemetery at its new website.