Articles
Burial Services
Make A Donation
It’s Not Easy to Become a Tree
Many of us have favorite trees to which we are inexplicably drawn or remember that one tree that stood at the center of our childhood experience. For me, it was a sprawling maple tree in my back yard in rural Pennsylvania. That tree was at times my mother, at times my father, and always my best friend.
It is a splendid dream to want your body to become a tree after it dies. Your body would live on in this magnificent stately form of grace and beauty that symbolically represents life itself. The images of Capsula Mundi helped to popularize the idea of becoming a tree after death.
The Chemistry of Cremated Remains
When we think of ashes, there are many images that might come to mind—the powdery remnants at the bottom of a fireplace in deep winter, the soft bed of a crackling campfire in the mountains, volcanic ash that nourishes a landscape after the lava flow has calmed and cooled. But for many of us, we think of our loved ones above all else.
Don’t Wear Black
“Don’t Wear Black” original poetry by Donelle Dreese included in the Fall 2020 Heritage Acres Newsletter sent to newsletter subscribers.
October Burials At Heritage Acres
Looking at a beautifully prepared cremation grave in the woods near the end of our Tree Planting Day on Oct. 17, one of our volunteers exclaimed, “This is real. We are really doing this!”
Indeed – although history may record that Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary opened without fanfare on Earth Day 2020, and that…
Tree Planting Day!
Who doesn’t love trees? From the spacious and majestic to the floral and fragrant to the glossy and deep green, trees inspire us to stop, look up into the sky, and dream. These days, so many of us have our heads down, looking into screens, getting our work done, watching our …
You’re Starting a What?
Natural burial, commonly referred to as “green burial,” is still a new concept to many Americans, although it is the way most people (including Americans) have been buried throughout human history. If you happen to be talking about Heritage Acres to friends, relatives, neighbors or co-workers during the upcoming holiday season – and we hope you are – here is a simple way to explain what we’re all about:
Myth Busted: The law requires a concrete burial vault
It is a common burial myth that the law requires a concrete burial vault. However, most conventional cemeteries do as part of their conditions of service, but for them, it’s all about maintaining a flat surface for mowing (and about making a profit, as vaults can add thousands to the cost of a funeral). At Heritage Acres, we do not use or require burial vaults, as part of the green burial approach and commitment to the environment.