The growth in popularity of non-traditional methods of burial is noted over the past few years. Earth capsules made of biodegradable material, sea reefs and vinyl plates made on the basis of the ashes of the deceased person, and also it is possible to turn into jewellery, after saying goodbye to life. And in North America, the cemeteries were replaced with woodlands.

Standard burial methods annually require more than 30 million feet of deciduous trees and 90,000 tons of steel, which are used in coffin production in North America. Also, more than 750,000 litres of formaldehyde laden is used to create an embalming liquid for embalming, and the price of gravestones is increased to hundreds of thousands of dollars. In a word, there are solid disadvantages, both for the wallet and for the environmental situation in the country.

All that was said above is only part of the reasons why people began to switch to non-traditional burial. Better Place Forests Company decided to take one more step forward by proposing to replace the headstones with beautiful living trees. Such an idea came to Sandy Gibson, one of four entrepreneurs who took up the campaign to abandon the traditional burial. Visiting the graves of his parents, Gibson concluded that it is necessary to turn the place where there are people who are dear to him, into something more beautiful than bare concrete stones.

By the way, Better Place Forests is the first company in North America to deal exclusively with cremation in forest cemeteries. Now the ashes of the deceased person will be committed to the earth only under the trees that act as an eco-gravestone. The first forest cemetery will be located in a protected part of the coastal forests of Northern California. Similar places the company plans to establish throughout the United States within the next five years.

For the burial of a person in a forest cemetery under an eco-grave, it is necessary to make an order for a tree. Every tree and land around it will become a private property. Members of the family will be able to attend the burial of the ashes and visit the grave at any time. These rules apply to the burial of one person, family and even pets. Revenue from each sale of eco-graves will go toward the creation of a memorial fund for the conservation and protection of forests.

Representatives of Better Place Forests say: «As a result of the introduction of eco-gravestones, some of the most beautiful natural places in North America will be protected and preserved, and each tree will become a symbol of soul peace of another person who has gone to the next world.»