The Murray family was looking to take its already eclectic Panorama Farms in a new direction. Best known for hosting the UVA cross country team and national collegiate running events, the Murrays wanted to turn a large swath of their Earlysville land into a green burial cemetery, where bodies can be laid to rest in a biodegradable covering with minimal markings so their remains return harmlessly to the earth.
In talks with the Green Burial Council, the family came in contact with Stephanie Bonney, a career afterlife specialist with a keen interest in natural burial. They hired Bonney as Panorama Natural Burial’s general manager, and launched the service earlier this year.
Bonney recently sat down with 434 to talk about her passion, and the Murrays’ newest venture.
434: How did you become
interested in natural burial?
Stephanie Bonney: I moved here from northern Vermont before Christmas. Up there, I was operating Vermont’s only nonprofit crematorium and a 60-acre traditional cemetery. We would do the occasional green burial, but never by [Green Burial] Council standards. People were starting to ask for it. The reason I was connected with the Murrays is that I had an interest in not only green burial, but also in listening to people about what they were hoping for in planning their own ending.
What do people want for their own ending?
People are realizing they can take charge. Not only is it better for them financially, but it is better for many of them in grieving. When they lose someone, people are looking for something to do. Green burial allows them to be more directly involved in the disposition. In a traditional funeral home setting, they come and pick up the body, prepare it, have a viewing, and the body goes in the ground. In natural burials, some families want to wash the body or even help dig. Many people don’t realize they are able to legally do these things.
What exactly are people allowed to do legally?
When I worked at the crematorium, people might call and say, “my uncle Bob died, and I don’t want to work with a funeral home.” We could help the family do the cremation for less than $500. They would then have to bring the person to us, and legally, they definitely could. But lots of people think it’s illegal; other times, they are uncomfortable with it. Of course, that was cremation, which is not great for the environment.
Which brings you here,
with the Murrays.
Yes, that’s how we were connected. The Murrays had done green burials for their parents and one of their brothers. They saw how meaningful the process could be. That is something that meant a lot to me, and in talking to other people in the area and realizing this is a pretty eco-conscious community, I felt like this would be a good fit. They have this incredible 800-plus acre farm, and the idea was to establish yet another business that can help the community and help the farm be sustainable into the future.
How difficult is it to do green burials from a regulatory perspective?
The state of Virginia is pretty empowering. They allow people to handle the whole process. You can keep the body at home, as long as you keep it cool. You can bathe it, dress it, put it in a casket or shroud it, and bring it in. There is no need for a burial transit permit unless you are going out of state. It’s minimal paperwork. The one thing is the death certificate needs to be on file. That is the one hiccup … it can sit there spinning its wheels for seven to 10 days, which makes it difficult to store a body. But it is doable; there are resources available. Something I have discovered is that many funeral homes are receptive to what we are doing, so they can help keep the body cool.
So the process can be somewhat challenging for families.
If you say, “keep me on ice for 10 days,” and your nephew is taking care of you after death, that probably won’t happen. Decide what you are hoping for and the comfort level of whoever is going to handle it. It is still always a good idea to talk to a funeral home. We are not trying to eliminate them. It’s easier to work together.
Do you see green burial growing
in the years to come?
Green burial is here to stay for sure, and there are more and more cemeteries popping up around the country. It is a more responsible way to take care of the earth—the planet we live on. Once we get going, we are hoping to start hosting low-key community activities like kite flying days or family picnics. Our goal is to be a place for the living, not just the dead.