“Iowa is bordered by several states that have cemeteries dedicated to just natural burial, and most of them that I’m interested in are the conservation burial cemeteries that also act as a nature preserve, and cares for the land in its natural native state in into perpetuity,” Hoffbauer said. While Hoffbauer has known about conservation burial for over a decade, she decided to look into it further as an option for her clients but noticed that Iowa was behind the trend. “If there’s a way to serve the community better by integrating this idea of conservation burial into what we’re already doing, I think that it is a good thing overall for the community.”īecky Hoffbauer is a practicing death doula, caregiver, and another co-chair for Back to Ground, and spoke with Taylor initially to conceptualize the Back to Ground nonprofit a little over a year ago. “From the beginning, there was an idea around if there is going to be a conservation burial ground, some organization is going to have to be responsible for the conservation side of it,” Taylor said. Taylor said the land trust is hopeful for its partnership with Back to Ground because both groups have similar environmental goals. Both nonprofits frequently meet to discuss the next steps and any laws or restrictions Back to Ground might run into while trying to acquire land for a cemetery. The trust was founded in 1978 and is run by Executive Director Jason Taylor. To find land that would work for Back to Ground, the organization has been in talks with the fellow nonprofit Bur Oak Land Trust. While non-green cemeteries usually have anywhere from 1,200 to 1,400 grave plots per acre, Ford said, a conservation cemetery will likely be around 300 plots per acre. Ideally, it would be large enough that we could foresee a long-term solution … we have a much less dense commitment to burial than a typical cemetery.” “It would have some remnant native plant life and ecosystem on it. “Ideally, it would be within a short drive of the major metropolitan areas of the county,” Ford said. However, this space must meet a series of requirements, including size, conservation status, and location relevant to Iowa City and Coralville. “I’m most interested in this because I’m conservation-minded to start with, and I’ve found a great deal of connection and spirituality in the land and I think this provides a great opportunity to help people reconnect there’s nothing more powerful than burying your loved ones.”Īlthough the group is still in its “building stage,” Ford said they hope to have a piece of land within the next two to three years. “Our goal is to create a different kind of space,” Ford said.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |