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Green and natural burial options in Guelph, what you should know

Passages Eco Conscious Cremation and Burial was launched by Jeff Robinson and Amelia Manera in October 2020
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Passages Eco Conscious Cremation and Burial was launched by Jeff Robinson and Amelia Manera in October 2020 to provide families with affordable options for simple cremations and green burials.

“Most people aren’t aware of the green and natural burial options available to them, so a big part of our job is creating awareness and providing education,” says Jeff, Funeral Director. “I think that we as Canadians have been conscious of our environmental footprint for some time. Our ‘shades of green’ may differ, but at some level I do believe it’s a consideration we all have on a daily basis. More and more, we’re hearing from families who want to continue with those choices as they make final arrangements. Many people are taking the time to reflect on what is meaningful for them and their families – something that reflects their values – and this is something we love to encourage when it comes to remembering a loved one in funeral services. More and more, people are becoming aware that they actually have choices in these matters.”

Jeff points out that cremation is often considered to be an environmentally-friendly practice; however the standard “flame based” cremation still consumes high levels of natural resources. As such, he and Amelia advocate on behalf of new and emerging technologies such as alkaline hydrolysis (water cremation) amongst others that are slowly gaining traction in the industry and will hopefully provide more earth-friendly options as they become more widely available. 

Another term you’ll hear when discussing green options is “natural burial.” As Jeff notes, “Technically there is no difference between a natural or a green burial. They will generally follow these key tenets: no embalming; use of a natural, biodegradable casket or burial shroud; no outer liner or vault, and the ground is restored to its natural environment (without a headstone or markers). Many people are surprised to learn that their local cemeteries will have areas where they can accommodate at least some, if not all of these principles.”

Passages supports the work done by the Green Burial Society of Canada and the Natural Burial Association. “We encourage everyone to visit their sites to learn more about their initiatives in Canada,” says Jeff.

With his years of experience in funeral service, Jeff has seen many changes over the years. He’s based Passages’ operations on the needs of today’s families to not only have eco-friendly options, but an alternative to corporately-owned funeral franchises.

“The business model we use is quite different from what most people would think of when they think ‘funeral home.’ While we are licensed as a Class 1 Funeral Establishment under the Bereavement Authority of Ontario and as such can provide the same services as any other funeral home, our premises are very different by design. Specifically, we’ve opted to keep things small and personal. The staff (currently) is limited to just me and Amelia. This is to ensure not only that we provide a high level of service, but so that families have a single point of contact throughout. We’ve also kept the size of our location small. We are able to conduct services offsite via our various partners throughout Guelph, but by reducing the size of our establishment, we reduce the overhead and pass those cost savings on to the family, thereby reducing funeral expenses.”

For Jeff and Amelia, no matter what kind of service or style of burial is chosen, the most important thing is personalised customer service. In fact, he calls this their biggest strength.

“When a family comes to Passages, they meet the two people who will be with them at every step of the way (and after). As a licensed Funeral Director, I help the family select the services that make the most sense for them. I stay with them throughout the process and make myself available to them when needed, 24 hours a day. After the cremation or burial has taken place, Amelia (a licensed wills and estate lawyer) helps guides them through the often confusing next steps that need to happen after someone passes away and helps answer any questions that come up regarding the estate.”
 
He concludes, “Our long-term goal is to help advocate and contribute to the development of more natural burial grounds and memorial forests in Ontario. It’s a lengthy process that many others have started before us, yet as a business we’ve barely left the starting line. Right now, in addition to the pursuit of that goal, we are happy when we hear back from a family that we’ve not only been there for them, but we have helped make things a little bit easier during one of the most difficult times in their lives.”

Learn more today at passagescb.ca.