What’s the Story Behind Those Old Gravestones? Curious about historic cemeteries here in the Keweenaw? Join the Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance for a fall color season tour of three overlooked historic cemeteries in the Calumet area. The tour starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, October 16, at the Schoolcraft/Centennial Cemetery just north of Calumet, on the west side of US 41. The guided tour will include Schoolcraft/Centennial Cemetery, Calumet Jewish Cemetery and Hecla/Sacred Heart Cemetery. “Old, long-forgotten cemeteries have a beauty and aesthetic all their own,” says Stephen Jukuri, president of the Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance. “This is a chance for everyone to learn some of the history of these sites.” Volunteer Lynette Webber, who has made a hobby of researching Schoolcraft Cemetery, will provide historical background at the first stop. Attendees will then drive as a group to the Calumet Jewish Cemetery, with history provided by members of our local synagogue, Temple Jacob. Finally, the tour and historical background on the Hecla Cemetery will be led by local historical researcher and cemetery caretaker, Ruth Gleckler. The tour is open to the public, and registration is not required. Visitors should wear hiking quality footwear and dress for the weather. For more information, call Stephen Jukuri at 296-9627 or contact the Green Burial Alliance at [email protected] or www.kgba.weebly.com.
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CHASSELL--Everyone is invited to enjoy a beautiful walk in the woods on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 1 p.m. While appreciating nature, you can also experience the Keweenaw's largest green burial area, located in the Chassell Cemetery. The Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance (KGBA) is organizing the tour, which will be led by Joseph Youngman of the Chassell Township Public Works. Youngman designed and developed the Chassell Cemetery's green burial sites, making it the Keweenaw's number one destination for this increasingly popular form of burial. “Chassell Township has done an excellent job of creating burial areas that appeal to people’s sense of what is natural,” said Stephen Jukuri, president of the KGBA. "This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in learning what an ideal green burial experience looks like." Five years ago, Youngman created approximately 40 green gravesites in a secluded, forested area within its grounds, a response to local interest in this traditional form of burial. After that area sold out, he developed additional sites that offer more than two dozen new plots dedicated to green burial Green burial uses simple shrouds or biodegradable caskets, no toxic embalming fluids, and no concrete vaults or grave liners. It is typically less expensive than conventional burial. Chassell has conducted seven green burials thus far. Chassell Township Cemetery is located on Cemetery Street in Chassell, off of Hancock Street, near the Chassell Heritage Center. Attendees should drive up into the cemetery and look for other cars on the left side of the grounds, where the original green burial area is located and the tour will begin. For more information, visit kgba.weebly.com or contact Jukuri at 906-296-9627. Joe Youngman at the entrance to a green burial area in the Chassell Township Cemetery CHASSELL--The Chassell Township Cemetery has added more than two dozen new plots dedicated to green burial, the Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance (KGBA) has announced.
Five years ago, the cemetery created approximately 40 green grave sites in a secluded, forested area, a response to local interest in this traditional form of burial. “Chassell Township has done an excellent job of creating burial areas that appeal to people’s sense of what is natural,” said Stephen Jukuri, president of the KGBA. “They have worked closely with our Alliance from the very start, and they sold out their original space quite fast.” Green burial seeks to return the body to the earth directly and simply and keep it within the cycle of life. It also minimizes environmental impact by using simple shrouds or biodegradable caskets, no toxic embalming fluids and no concrete vaults or grave liners. Green burial is usually much less expensive than conventional burial. Furthermore, it emits far less carbon into the atmosphere than cremation, which typically requires a significant amount of fossil fuel consumption. After the original grave sites sold out, Chassell Township added five more green burial areas, each with several plots. All are nestled in the woods. “We’re happy to be able to expand our offerings,” said Joseph Youngman of the Chassell Public Works Department, who developed the green burial areas. “Interest in green burial is increasing, and it’s important to us to respond to the needs of our community.” “While green burial may seem like a new practice, throughout most of human history burials were conducted this way,” said Jukuri. “As with so many things of environmental concern, maybe people actually got this one right the first time too.” For more information, contact the Chassell Township Office, 906-523-4000 or the Chassell Cemetery sexton, Craig Austin, 906-370-5827. Tuesday, May 7 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Portage Lake District Library, Houghton Free and open to the public Pre-registration is appreciated and will guarantee you a seat; you can just reply to this email. While we can understand some reluctance to contemplate “the inevitable,” planning ahead for green burial is very important because it is so new in our area (only three green burials thus far!). And green burial does present families with a very different set of choices in funeral planning than cremation or conventional burial, including some considerations that should be talked through well ahead of time. This will be an active workshop where you can learn what kinds of trade-offs you should be weighing when considering green burial and discuss with others the relative merits of the choices that green burial provides. Afterward, you should feel prepared to extend these conversations to your own family and friends, and be ready to find and work with a funeral director to develop green burial plans that satisfy both your own desires and the needs of the other people in your life. Or, if you prefer not to think of it as planning your own green burial, just tell yourself that you are coming to help plan one for somebody else! Prior registration is appreciated to help us plan and to guarantee you a seat (we can only accommodate a certain number of participants). You can register by replying to this email, calling 487-5411, or filling out our contact form at https://kgba.weebly.com/contact-us.html. Next Meeting: Thursday, February 7, 6 to 8 p.m.
Portage Lake District Library Increasingly common worldwide, Death Cafe discussion groups are designed to create a space for participants to talk about death and death related topics from all perspectives. While other organizations might focus on counseling or grief support, Death Cafe is an open-ended forum for sharing views and having interesting discussion about the final stage of life. Houghton’s "Lake Superior Death Cafe" is free and open to the general public. Organizers report that their first cafe was well attended, and they expect to continue having them every other month. You can also learn more about the history and philosophy of Death Cafe at www.deathcafe.com. Today's Death Cafe has been postponed, as the Portage Lake District Library has been closed due to the storm. The next Cafe date will be announced as soon as organizers have scheduled it.
Next Meeting: Thursday, January 24, 6 to 8 p.m.
Portage Lake District Library Check out our local Death Cafe on Facebook at “Lake Superior Death Cafe” or download their January flyer by clicking here: Death Cafe - January. Increasingly common worldwide, Death Cafe discussion groups are designed to create a space for participants to talk about death and death related topics from all perspectives. While other organizations might focus on counseling or grief support, Death Cafe is an open-ended forum for sharing views and having interesting discussion about the final stage of life. Houghton’s "Lake Superior Death Cafe" is free and open to the general public. Organizers report that their first cafe was well attended, and they expect to continue having them every other month. You can also learn more about the history and philosophy of Death Cafe at www.deathcafe.com. Visit them at www.marquettegreenburial.org!
A dedicated group of green burial advocates in the Marquette area have now organized and are already busy engaging with cemeteries officials and funeral directors throughout the region. They are also planning educational programs and publicity to get the word out. You can connect with the group at their website or on Facebook at “Marquette Green Burial.” They’ll be happy to add you to their contact list and keep you updated on their work and progress. And as always, the more that people articulate an interest in green burial, the more likely cemetery officials will seriously consider providing those options. If you can lend your voice to the cause, contact Marquette Green Burial and they’ll let you know their current action plans and how you can participate. For over three years now, Houghton County has had the only two providers of green burial options on the Keweenaw Peninsula: Chassell Township (in Chassell) and Portage Township (Forest Hill Cemetery next to MTU’s Student Development Complex).
Now Keweenaw County has its first official green burial provider: Houghton Township (Eagle River). Township officials have recently established “natural burial” options for their Evergreen Cemetery, which is located about a mile south of Eagle River on M26. They have designated several rows of the cemetery exclusively for burials that use only natural, bio-degradable materials. For contact information and links to township websites for all three cemeteries that offer green burial options, please visit our cemeteries web page at www.kgba.weebly.com/local-cemeteries “Rumors, Myths, and Real News: The Status of Green Burial on the Keweenaw”
A community update by the Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance Tuesday, April 3, 6:30 p.m. at the Portage Lake District Library Perhaps you heard that green burial died a quiet death up here in Houghton County, taken off of life support sometime last year. Others say no, actually all the plots are already sold! Meanwhile, somebody knows somebody whose brother actually attended a green burial just last year. But, your aunt says that’s gotta be fake news, because green burials aren’t allowed—everyone knows they all get dug up by wolves and bears. We can reveal this much right here: rumors of the premature death of green burial are indeed greatly exaggerated. In fact, green burial is alive, well, and prospering. As for the details, the Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance (KGBA) invites you to come and get the real scoop when they provide a community update on Tuesday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m. at the Portage Lake District Library in Houghton. “We have a lot to share with our community,” said Stephen Jukuri, president of the KGBA. “I think that the local progress toward green burial is solid and sustainable. In fact, our local residents actually have choices now—choices in burial locations, choices in who to call when needed, and choices in how they can prepare for and define their own green or natural burial.” Indeed, the details of green burial can differ quite a bit, which means that the choices are real. For example, Chassell Township Cemetery now allows winter burial in their green plots, while Portage Township does not. “This is the first time in generations that a local cemetery is offering winter burial,” said Jukuri. “It hasn’t been tested yet, and no doubt there may be some wrinkles to iron out, but Chassell Township is making a carefully planned, good-faith effort to address this need for those who wish to be buried as ‘greenly’ as possible, no matter what time of year they die.” The other choice: if you die during winter and want a green burial at Portage Township, your only option is going to be non-toxic embalming and winter vault storage until the time of spring burials. That’s still an acceptable choice for many who desire green burial, according to Jukuri, “but still, most people probably do want to understand what choices they are automatically making when they select a cemetery.” The challenge of winter burial is just one of many significant issues that have been addressed in the past couple years of green burial advocacy. The KGBA promises that there is a lot more to share at their upcoming forum, including progress made, lessons learned, rumors confirmed, and rumors dispelled. Plus all the news that’s real. |
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Green Burial in the News!Keweenaw Now (Jan. 13, 2024): Archives
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