ABSTRACT
This chapter explores what layers of meaning and significance may be attributed to the term 'nature', as in the phrase 'natural burial sites' in order to account cultural and spatial considerations. It addresses the mechanics of consolation. Both at the collectively cultural level and at the individual level, rifts between concepts of consolation divide contemporary practices of death and disposal. The environmental consequences of conventional burial become untenable to those who are environmentally conscious and whose 'green' lifestyles prompt them to opt for 'green' deathstyles. The spirit behind 'green' death practices has caught on in many areas worldwide. The reactions to reports about the globe's rapid deforestation, pollution of earth, water and air, depletion of mineral resources including fossil fuels, anthropogenic climate change or shrinking biodiversity, vary considerably. Thinking less in negative environmental consequences of 'death industry', others opt for natural burial as a matter of taste, style, and aesthetics.
