Research has shown that the costs of funeral services and burials are on the rise and at the same time, many people are interested in green burial options. Better Place Forests is a start-up that is creating an entirely new kind of cemetery in the form of forests.
Just this month, Better Place Forests launched its first 20-acre forest in Mendocino, California, and rather than paying for funeral plots, people pay for the rights to spread ashes across the sprawling property. While the rights to put ashes under some trees start at $2,900, placing ashes under old redwood trees can cost up to $36,000. Better Place Forests' trees promise to be forever protected thanks to the start-up's unique model of purchasing land and donating the development rights to a permanent land trust.
Protected End-of-Life Forests
Better Place Forests Provides Green Burial Options
Trend Themes
1. Green Burial Options - Green burial options are gaining popularity as people seek more sustainable end-of-life solutions.
2. Forest Cemeteries - The concept of forest cemeteries is disrupting the traditional funeral industry by offering a more natural and scenic burial alternative.
3. Land Conservation and Preservation - Start-ups like Better Place Forests are leveraging land conservation and preservation to create unique end-of-life memorial spaces.
Industry Implications
1. Funeral Services - The funeral services industry is being disrupted as people seek out environmentally-friendly and less conventional burial options.
2. Eco-tourism - Eco-tourism industry can tap into the growing interest in nature-based memorial spaces like forest cemeteries.
3. Real Estate and Land Development - The real estate and land development industry has opportunities to collaborate with preservation-focused start-ups in creating protected memorial forests.