Compare Sustainable Options
Explore popular eco-friendly memorials
Find the tree that speaks to you by exploring trees online or in-forest.
Double Your Environmental Impact
This Earth Month we are planting double the number of saplings in your honor when you purchase your Memorial Tree. Saplings are planted by our nonprofit partner the Arbor Day Foundation to reforest areas affected by wildfire and drought. Together we can leave the earth better.
Double Your Environmental Impact
This Earth Month we are planting double the number of saplings in your honor when you purchase your Memorial Tree. Saplings are planted by our nonprofit partner the Arbor Day Foundation to reforest areas affected by wildfire and drought. Together we can leave the earth better.
What to consider when planning your sustainable end of life option
Sustainable Options
There are many factors that go into sustainability such as, land or water use, carbon emissions, and production and material usage.
Key Considerations
Pay attention to details such as legality, location availability, support or guidance offered and what is currently available vs what is still conceptual or in development.
Cost
Is this within your budget? Is there a tiered pricing system? Are there any add ons or hidden costs?
Sustainable Options
Memorial Tree
An established, growing tree that serves as a protected place to return ashes to the earth.
Plant a Tree In Memory
The concept of planting saplings in honor of a loved one helps restore forest habitats.
Capsula Mundi
An egg-shaped biodegradable pod, where departed loved ones are placed for burial.
Memorial Tree
Instead of a tombstone, a Memorial Tree is a protected place to return ashes to the earth naturally. A custom inscribed Memorial Marker and an intimate in forest ceremony honor life.
How it works
Choose your tree
Explore Better Place Forests’ nine protected forests online or in-person and choose your tree with the help of a Guide.
Plan your Forest Memorial
Create a memorial that feels authentic to you. Plan readings, music, and more with the help of our Guides.
Spread ashes
At the Forest Memorial ashes are mixed with local soil and returned to the base of your tree, becoming a part of the life of the forest.
Enjoy your forest
You and your loved ones have ongoing access to the forest. Visit as often as you’d like.
Sustainability Features
The forestland that becomes a Memorial Forest is conserved from being developed. Each Memorial Forest has multiple layers of legal protection to ensure they stay natural in perpetuity. They also have a forest management plan to ensure the land is cared for. For each Memorial Tree chosen, additional saplings are planted in honor of each customer in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation.
Key Considerations
It’s legal to spread ashes in a Memorial Forest and our Guides will assist with all paperwork. Each Memorial Tree has an arbor tag and is mapped in a database to ensure your tree is easy to find. Memorial Forests are staffed by local Forest Guides that provide forest guidance and forest ceremony support.
Find the sustainable option that's right for you
Talk to a Guide to learn more about pricing and available options in your area.
Plant a Tree in Memory (The Arbor Day Foundation)
Planting a tree in memory is a beautiful way of honoring someone that was popularized by the Arbor Day Foundation. The foundation plants saplings worldwide to help restore forest habitats and many choose to plant a tree in honor of a loved one.
How it works
Explore online
You can choose how many saplings you want planted, as well as which planting project you’d like your trees to contribute to.
Choose who to honor
You can dedicate your trees online by choosing who to honor, as well as who is gifting the trees. This will be recorded in their “Online Tree Registry.”
Get a certificate
You can get a paper or digital certificate confirming your trees.
Sustainability Features
Memorial trees planted primarily in National Forests ecosystems. Typically planting projects help forests affected by wildfires or natural disasters.
Key Considerations
The Arbor Day Foundation partners worldwide with National Parks and Forests, ensuring the saplings are planted where they will have a large positive impact. However, they can only tell you the general location of the planting (ex: Chippewa National Forest), making visiting your trees extremely difficult. You will also still need to choose a final resting place for ashes.
Cost
Approximately $2 per tree. 10 is the minimum number of trees you can have planted in someone’s honor. The range listed on their website is $20 – $17,000.
Living Urn
Plant ashes inside a biodegradable urn with a tree sapling with companies like Living Urn. You can purchase a kit which includes a “biourn”, soil additive, aged wood chips, planting instructions, and a 1-2 foot tree sapling.
How it works
Choose a location
Where you want to plant the Living Urn will help you decide which species would work best.
Order your urn
Typically people order their urn after someone has been cremated and when they are ready to plant the tree.
Plant your sapling
Follow the step by step guide to add ashes to urn. Then, plant the sapling.
Care for your sapling
Young trees require regular watering, strong sun access, and care to mature.
Sustainability Features
The Living Urn is thoughtfully designed and made entirely of biodegradable materials that will break down in the soil.
Key Considerations
Tend to your sapling carefully as they can be killed by spreading too much ash. Typically, mature trees can grow and thrive with more ashes than a sapling. The Living Urn has a proprietary soil additive called “Root Protect” to help with this. You will also need to carefully consider where you can legally plant your sapling to ensure it will remain protected and you will have access to it.
Capsula Mundi
Is an Italian design firm’s concept, which is currently still in development. “Capsula Mundi is an egg-shaped pod, made of biodegradable material, where departed loved ones are placed for burial. Ashes will be held in small egg-shaped urns while bodies will be laid down in a fetal position in larger pods. The Capsula will then be buried as a seed in the earth. Family and friends will continue to care for the tree as it grows.”
– Capsula Mundi
How it works
Concept only
Ashes or a full body would be placed in an egg-shaped urn or coffin.
Concept only
Trees would be planted with their roots surrounding the “egg”, creating sacred forests.
Reality
You can purchase an egg-shaped urn made of biodegradable material. A tree is not included with your purchase.
Sustainability Features
The egg-shaped urn is made of biodegradable materials. Conceptually, their sacred forests are free from inorganic materials and chemicals.
Key Considerations
The full body tree burial pod has not currently been release. The egg-shaped urn is available for purchase. Tend to your sapling carefully as they can be killed by spreading too much ash and Capsula Mundi does not provide corrective soil additives. You will also need to carefully consider where you can legally plant your sapling to ensure it will remain protected and you will have access to it.
Compare Sustainable Options
Explore Sustainable Memorials
Our Guides provide additional information in a free consultation so you can decide what’s right for you.
