There are many reasons why the more environmentally conscious among us are opting for a greener funeral. For Helen it is about our “burgeoning world population,” and the fact that we are running out of room for gravestones. But there are other factors to consider. For artist Jae Rhim Lee the big concern with modern funeral customs is the volume of toxic chemicals we hold in our bodies that are released back into the atmosphere via cremation or burial. In her 2011 Ted Talk Lee explains that the chemical Bisphenol A has been found in 93 per cent of people age six and older and that there are up to 219 chemicals in human bodies, including preservatives, pesticides and heavy metals like lead and mercury. Her solution is the “mushroom death suit,” an all-in-one impregnated with mushroom spores. The idea is that the mushrooms will ‘feed’ from the body, thus removing the toxins. Lee has been ‘training’ mushrooms to do this by feeding them clippings of her own hair, nails and skin. "I realise this is not the kind of relationship that we usually aspire to have with our food," says Lee.

"It's a step towards accepting the fact that someday I will die and decay. It's also a step towards taking responsibility for my own burden on the planet.” A less extreme solution to the eco-funeral conundrum is the ‘Bios Urn’, a biodegradable urn that contains a seed – enabling the ashes of the deceased to grow into a tree. CEO Roger Moline says the feedback has been “hugely positive.” Moline says their goal is to “return people to nature”. They also want to challenge “the artificial” conception of death. “We think things can be done differently,” he says. Another eco-funeral option is the popular ‘bush burial’ in which bodies are laid to rest in shrouds of biodegradable cotton or in coffins made from wicker or recycled cardboard. At Lismore Memorial Gardens, funeral services can be held anywhere within the large grounds. There are no headstones, instead families are given GPS co-ordinates so that they can return and pay their respects to their loved one.

“Simple burial in the ground in just a shroud or some such, is the most natural, and least environmentally damaging method of disposing of a deceased person,” says funeral and memorial celebrant Elaine Searle. Searle says 'bush burials' can be carried out respectfully in accordance with the wishes of the bereaved. When the time comes, she says she would like to be 'returned to nature' in this way. “I would love to know that my body would be buried in bush land, perhaps under, or in the shade of a beautiful eucalypt.” For some families a ‘bush burial’ may be too far from home, and those wishing their loved one to be a little closer may wish to consider the option chosen by British television presenter Kirstie Allsopp. Earlier this year Allsopp followed her mother’s final wishes and buried her in the back garden. Allsopp told the Independent newspaper her mother was buried within 24 hours of her death. “We buried her in the garden the next day,” she said. “We lifted her into the wicker coffin and we put her on the trailer on the back of the tractor and drove her up the garden.”

Of course you don’t need to go that far to have a ‘greener’ funeral. There are lots of other options that will ensure your final carbon footprint is an environmentally friendly one.