Frequently Asked Questions

What is a green cemetery?

The goal of a natural burial is to return the body to the earth in a manner that allows the body to recycle naturally. It is intended as an environmentally sustainable alternative to existing funeral practices that may pose future hazards to public health and run counter to modern resource-conservation activities.

How is the body prepared?

For a natural burial the body is prepared without chemical preservatives or disinfectants such as embalming fluid; whenever these fluids contain formaldehyde they can destroy the microbial decomposers necessary to break the body down. The body may be buried in a biodegradable coffin, casket, or shroud. The grave does not use a burial vault or outer burial container and dug to a depth shallow enough to allow the same aerobic activity found in composting.

How will I know where my loved one is buried?

As in all cemeteries, there are records kept of the exact location of each interment. In addition to approved grave markers each grave site can be located with GPS coordinates and compass directions. 

Can I make the casket to use for a burial?

Certainly! Natural coffins are made from materials that readily biodegrade. Ideally, the materials are readily renewable or recycled. Some glues that are used, such as those that contain formaldehyde, are seen as environmentally unfriendly. While there are generally no restrictions on the type of coffin used, we encourage the use of environmentally friendly coffins made from cardboard or wicker. A simple cotton shroud is another option. 

What is the difference between a casket and a coffin?

Coffins have a tapered shoulder shape and caskets have a rectangular shape. 

What exactly is a green burial?

Green burial has come to be understood as end-of-life rituals, disposition options, and products that do not involve the use of toxic chemicals or non-biodegradable materials. In other words, it’s burial that does not involve embalming with hazardous chemicals, metal caskets, and concrete burial vaults. Green burial uses less energy and creates less waste than conventional burial. It’s essentially the way most of humanity cared for its waste than conventional burial. It’s essentially the way most of humanity cared for its dead for thousands of years up until the Civil War. In some instances, green burial can also be used to facilitate ecological restoration and landscape-level conservation.

Why would I want to be buried in a green cemetery? What are the benefits of green burial? 

Some reasons to consider this burial option are:

1. It’s actually “greener” than cremation. You’d be supporting the preservation of open spaces surrounding Austin and Bastrop.
2. It’s your most economical alternative for burial. A green burial can save you thousands of dollars compared to a traditional burial averaging $16,000 or more.
3. Your friends and family can be intimately involved with your care and burial and retain control over the burial time frame and events. Your final resting place would be a natural woodland setting as opposed to a sterile manicured lawn and your last act on this earth would be one of helping the planet.

What are the hours of the burial park?

The cemetery is open to the public for visiting from dawn to dusk seven days a week. There are no lights, so it is not safe after dark. After you have visited the park and decided that this is the place for you, please call with questions or to schedule a burial.

What will guarantee the future care of the cemetery?

Eloise Woods is a community cemetery less than ten acres. There is a deed restriction on this property which states that the land must always be used for cemetery purposes as part of the cemetery’s dedication. 

Will there be walking areas or places to sit when visiting the burial park?

There are currently 15 different walking trails throughout the 9.4 acres. There are about 10 stone benches currently in the park along trails or nestled within gardens. In the summer of 2014, we received a grant from the Awesome Foundation for the purchase of materials to create additional stone benches for each garden. If you plan to be a regular visitor we recommend keeping a camping chair in the trunk of your car. 

Can I help to lower the body into the grave?

Absolutely. This act is an important aspect of many cultural traditions. Carrying the body to the graveside, lowering the body into the grave, and adding earth to the grave are all processes of burying your loved one. There are several ways of accomplishing this. Some families use a quilt to lower in the body. Others have used canvas slings or ropes. 

Are cremated remains allowed to be buried?

Yes, cremated remains may be buried if a small plot is purchased.

Any restrictions to the fabric the body shroud needs to be made of in order to decompose? 

Anything going into the ground (shrouds or other burial containers) should be made of natural materials which biodegrade easily. Shrouds should be made of natural fibers including cotton, linen, silk, wool, etc. Polyester, rayon and synthetic fabrics are not natural fabrics and therefore not allowed.

Is there any way to level the ground after it has fully settled?

By adding more dirt! Which we will do on occasion if the ground starts to sink. We don’t want water to pool anywhere but to continue to flow down the natural slope of the land. 

How can we plan to visit the burial park?

Eloise Woods welcome visitors from dawn to dusk every day of the year. Please be aware that there are no facilities at the park. That means no electricity, no running water, no plumbing, no restrooms. There are restrooms one mile east on Pearce Lane at the Bastrop County Annex Building. And there is a Shamrock two miles east at the corner of Hwy 535 and Hwy 21. Click here for a trail map to help you during your visit to the park. 

If no large upright headstones are allowed, how do you ensure not digging someone up to bury someone else?

We allow flat field stones to be used as markers, just not upright headstones or crosses or anything that sticks up more than three inches above the ground (see Rules and Regulations). All plots are surveyed and platted using GPS. We also mark the four corners of each plot with metal indicators. These measurements are accurate enough to locate a specific grave site. So even if there is no field stone marker we are still able to locate precisely where someone is buried. 

A traditional Jewish burial is “green” by custom anyway. We bury in a shroud, use a special inexpensive pine coffin with minimal ornamentation and no metal. No embalming is permitted. 

True. Jewish burial practices have always been simple, natural and earth-friendly. The difference between a Jewish burial at Eloise Woods and other cemeteries is a 1.6 ton reinforced concrete burial vault. Plus you have the option to bury in a shroud or tallit only as is the tradition in  Israel. Plus we encourage families to lower the body and fill in the grave, in keeping with Jewish customs.

Religious considerations

ANYONE is welcome to buried at Eloise Woods regardless of their religious beliefs. We have a Jewish section called “Teva Garden” (which means Nature in Hebrew) to serve the Jewish community. 

What are the environmental effects of non-green burials?

Picture this: The amount of metal buried each year in this country is enough to build and re-build the Golden Gate Bridge. The amount of embalming fluid used each year is enough overflow an Olympic sized swimming pool. Enough reinforced concrete is buried every year to build a two lane road from San Francisco to Phoenix. This is not to mention all of the irrigation and toxic herbicides used to keep the grasses of conventional cemeteries green and weedless and flat. Additionally, 50,000 tons of hard wood, such as the endangered Mahogany, are used in caskets.

Can family members leave flowers and/or plant a plant or tree there?

We love plants and trees, too! It is important to keep in mind that there are not many open areas where a new tree would grow very well. There are already hundreds of oaks on the property plus junipers, pines, and yaupon which are all native to central Texas. Also, it is worth noting that there is no water supply at the woods so you will need to visit frequently in order to water whatever you plant. You can certainly leave flowers, but after a few days they’ll be removed along with anything else left lying on the ground. Scattering of native wild flower seeds is a wonderful way to pay tribute to your loved one. See “Rules and Regulations” for more information about planting native trees and shrubs.