Be eco friendly in death as well as in life and you will continue to help save the planet for years after you’re gone.

What do the flamboyant TV chef Keith Floyd, The Body Shop founder Dame Anita Roddick and EastEnders actress Wendy Richard all have in common?

Despite coming from very different career stand points, all three of them opted for a ‘green’ element to be included at their funerals.

Keith was buried in a handmade woven coffin made from banana leaves – because of its eco friendly nature, but also as a humorous nod to his love of cooking with leaves. Dame Anita, who died in 2007, was cremated in an ‘eco-pod’ coffin made from biodegradable shrubs, while special filters designed to reduce mercury emissions were used during the cremation. And national treasure, Wendy, who died last year, was buried in a biodegradable bamboo coffin.

But it’s not just celebrities who are thinking eco when it comes to death. The green funeral business – from biodegradable coffins and eco undertakers to woodland burial grounds – has expanded 25% to 30%, year on year, in the past decade. And, as with most eco alternatives, a green funeral can be good for your purse, too.

Out with the old
When it comes to funeral format, burials and cremations are still the most popular exits with traditional wooden coffins still the number one choice. But these can be an eco disaster: if they are not made from hardwood they often contain chipboard, which can release glues and other pollutants into the air or soil. Metal handles, nuts, bolts and a plastic liner do not easily degrade or burn so remain intact for years. It makes sense, then, to consider a green alternative so that when you die you will feed the earth, not be a burden.

All you need to know about having a green funeral…
The credit crunch is helping to boost demand for eco coffins, which can be made of anything from seagrass to banana leaf. Cardboard coffins retail for as little as £60 and willow ones from around £250. These can be personalised with written messages and bespoke pictures, too. Creative Coffins (www.creativecoffins.com) decorates coffins with illustrations depicting the deceased’s favourite pastime including guitars for example, aeroplanes, cricket stumps or footballs and even boxes of chocolates or bottles of vodka!

Woodland burials offer an ecological alternative to traditional burials and are less expensive. Public want has lead to a big increase in the number ­– there are now 250 natural burial grounds in Britain ­– up from just one or two in 1993. The Association of Natural Burial Grounds (www.naturalburial.coop) an independent body representing most of these sites, wants to have one in every local authority area by the next decade.

A woodland burial ground is land that is reverted back to woodland or meadows after the burial and instead of a traditional headstone, a tree or a plaque may be chosen to mark the spot. In 2008 the winner of The Sunday Times Best Green Companies award was JC Atkinson and Son, of Washington, Tyne and Wear, which makes 60,000 coffins a year. The owner, Julian Atkinson, sources wood from sustainable forests, his hearses use liquefied petroleum gas and coffins are polished with biodegradable lacquers.

Greener future If caring for the planet is a priority for you then it’s worth thinking about how you want to be buried or cremated and where you want your body to end up. Specifying your wants now will save your family lots of stress when the time comes, and you’ll know you’re doing your bit to be green – even when you’re gone.

Pictures: getty images