Caskets, Shrouds & Markers

Green burial means natural biodegradable materials only, please—no concrete vault, no varnished wood or metals. We can offer you a number of suggestions for sustainable caskets and shrouds.

We recommend shrouds - handmade, natural and biodegradable, they can be made at home by a friend, out of a favorite quilt perhaps, or you can find them online and through funeral homes.
WEMP Founding Steward Chris Woodcock at Golden Graphics in Goldendale makes handmade custom shrouds. Her base price is $390. She works with reclaimed and heirloom materials to create beautiful sturdy shrouds with a back board and straps. She can make yours from material which is meaningful to you. chris@ekone.org

Simple untreated and unvarnished caskets are a meaningful way to bury too.
Founding WEMP steward Bob Jeffers makes handmade pinewood caskets from local sustainably harvested wood using a glue and wood doweling technique. They can be simple or fancy...your choice. He also does woodburning of words and images - see some examples in the photo gallery below. Base price is $650; goldengraphics@gorge.net.
Reese Woodwork makes caskets starting at $1000 and will deliver throughout the PNW.
Woven Thresholds willow caskets from Maureen Walrath range from $900-2600.
Natural Burial Company has online options, look for Green Burial Council certified products – no finishes, no hardwoods. Please see our Policy Practice & Procedure pages for further details on our guidelines.
Bob Jeffers also carves custom stone grave markers from local Ekone stone. Engraving is outdoor, seasonal/weather- dependent work, and there may be a limit on word count, depending on the size of the stone. Bob's stones start at $200.
You may also work with a stone and engraver of your choice, but we ask that they use "rock-shaped rocks" without polish, that rest naturally in the forest landscape.