Eco-Friendly Alternatives To Keeping Ashes At Home: A Guide For Australia
What are the eco-friendly alternatives to keeping ashes at home? Eco-friendly alternatives to keeping ashes at home include transforming cremated ashes into living memorial trees, creating sustainable flower gardens, or incorporating them into reef balls for marine conservation. These options provide meaningful ways to honor loved ones while contributing positively to the environment, offering both emotional connection and ecological benefits.
Key Insights
1. Typical length of home ownership in Australia is around 10 years. What happens when home is sold which often happens after death in the family.
2. Traditional urn storage at home can be emotionally challenging with no environmental benefits
3. Living memorial options create lasting, positive environmental impact
4. Scientific ash treatment processes like the patented process in Mornington Green Living Legacy Gardens can transform harmful ashes into beneficial nutrients
5. At Mornington Green, multiple family members’ ashes can be combined in one Living Legacy Memorial Tree
Understanding the Environmental Impact of Cremated Ashes
Many Australians don’t realize that untreated cremated ashes can actually harm the environment. With a pH level of 12 out of 14 (similar to bleach) and high salt content, untreated ashes can damage soil and prevent healthy plant growth. This is why simply scattering ashes or using biodegradable urns without proper treatment isn’t as eco-friendly as it might seem.
Sustainable Eco-Friendly Alternatives To Keeping Ashes At Home
1. Living Legacy Trees
The most comprehensive eco-friendly alternatives to keeping ashes at home in Australia is The Living Legacy Tree at Mornington Green Legacy Gardens located in Melbourne, Victoria. This innovative approach:
1. Treats ashes using a patented formula to create beneficial nutrients like potassium
2. Provides a protected, permanent location for family visits in a botanical garden
3. Allows multiple family members’ ashes to be combined in one same tree
4. Saves your family from financial burden because cost less than half of traditional burials
2. Memorial Flower Gardens
For those seeking other beautiful option for eco-friendly alternatives to keeping ashes at home, memorial flower gardens offer:
1. Beautiful, seasonal blooms
2. Lower cost alternative to traditional memorials
3. Ongoing care and connection in Mornington Green Living Legacy Gardens
4. Sustainable way to infuse nutrients to the earth
3. Reef Balls Or Memorial Reef
While less common in Australia, reef ball memorials provide:
1. Support for marine ecosystem restoration
2. Contribution to coral reef preservation
3. Alternative for those with connection to the sea
4. Limited accessibility
How To Choose Eco-Friendly Alternative To Keeping Ashes At Home
Consider these factors when choosing an eco alternative:
1. Accessibility for family visits, all year long
2. Environmental impact of it
3. Long-term maintenance requirements
4. Cost and included services
5. Does it align with your loved ones’ values?
Costs Of Eco-Friendly Alternatives To Keeping Ashes At Home
Cost varies. Memorial Reefs Balls cost around AUD 1650, Flower Memorial Garden costs around AUD 1980, and Living Legacy Trees at Mornington Green start from $7,000, including:
1. Ash treatment and tree planting
2. Ongoing care and maintenance
3. Protected location
4. Family ceremonies
These all compare favorably to traditional burial costs of $15,000-$19,000
The Impact of Choosing Eco-Friendly Alternatives To Keeping Ashes At Home
By choosing an environmentally friendly alternative to keeping ashes at home, you are changing the way we honour and remember our loved ones. Your choice creates A Living Legacy that grows stronger with each passing season, nourishing the earth and future generations.
Especially if you choose A Living Legacy Tree or Flower Memorial Garden, as your memorial tree or garden flourishes, it becomes a beautiful sanctuary and gathering place where your family can connect, share stories and find comfort in the love of nature.
This meaningful choice goes far beyond personal remembrance – it contributes to the environment and supports sustainable practices that protect our precious Australian landscape. In this way, your loved one’s memory becomes part of nature’s continuous cycle, creating a lasting positive impact that touches both people and the planet.
