Conservation Burial as Climate Action

Returning our bodies to nature in a conservation cemetery is a final act of care for the planet.
Conservation burial is a form of natural or green burial that goes a step beyond limiting the negative environmental impacts of burial. It avoids wasteful practices and ensures the permanent protection of an important conservation area — a resilient natural refuge and a sacred place for people and wildlife for generations to come. 

At Bluestem Conservation Cemetery, natural burial takes place within 87 acres of Piedmont grasslands and woodlands which are cared for and restored by a network of community volunteers and partners. Conservation burial in this place is meaningful climate action that contributes to mitigation, adaptation and resilience in the face of our changing climate.

At Bluestem, we recognize and constantly learn together about the many, layered benefits that conservation burial offers.
Conservation burial provides refugia.
As humans and wildlife face more challenges from a changing climate, like floods, droughts and temperature extremes, we need places that can adapt to changing conditions. Conservation burial supports the perpetual protection of climate-resilient landscapes like Bluestem. These safe spaces, also called climate change refugia, enhance wildlife habitat, protect biodiversity and provide refuge for humans amidst future uncertainty. 
Conservation burial limits waste and emissions.
Natural burial is the simplest way of returning our bodies to the earth. It eliminates the use of fossil fuels for cremation as well as the embalming fluids, plastics, metals and concrete vaults often used in conventional burial practices. Only biodegradable materials such as a linen shroud or pine casket are used, conserving natural resources and nourishing depleted soils rather than introducing harmful pollutants to the soil, water and air. In place of headstones or monuments, graves are marked simply, mapped with GPS and allowed to settle into the natural landscape.
Conservation burial works with nature, not against it.
Conservation cemeteries like Bluestem are legally protected from development and sustainably managed. Bluestem’s conservation easement is held in a partnership with the Eno River Association and Triangle Land Conservancy, ensuring that this land will remain as a beautiful natural space and thriving wildlife habitat into perpetuity. Maintenance of the nature preserve follows established conservation principles and restoration practices. Instead of harmful fertilizers, pesticides and excessive mowing, practices such as prescribed fire, native plantings and erosion control allow the land to regenerate and thrive into the future. 
Conservation burial sequesters carbon.
Restored landscapes like the Piedmont grasslands and hardwood forests at Bluestem are important carbon sinks, removing carbon from the air and storing it in plants, roots and soil. The roots of bluestem grasses, for example, extend 5 to 6 feet deep into the soil, pulling carbon from the atmosphere while preventing harmful erosion at the same time.
Conservation burial connects us to nature and to one another.
Natural burial allows our bodies to return to the earth simply and enables our loved ones to take comfort in nature as they grieve. Amid the trees, birdsong and the gentle support of a Bluestem crew, families are invited to take part in laying their loved ones to rest. Participating in this embodied process strengthens our kinship to the natural world and our human communities — connections that are critical for climate resilience and action. 
At Bluestem, people who have cared for the earth throughout their lives elect at the end of their lives to make a final act of care. Whether choosing natural burial for oneself, volunteering on a burial crew or caring for the land, there are many ways to help steward this sacred, natural resting place where life and end-of-life choices are opportunities for long-lasting climate action. 
This article was written in April 2026 by Bluestem Operations Steward Katie Mangum. All illustrations were done by Bluestem Intern Rebekah Foster. Many thanks to the rest of the Bluestem team, and volunteer Margot Lester for their support. Want to talk with us more about climate? Please get in touch.