HAMBURG, N.Y. (WKBW) — These days, there are many options when it comes to making end-of-life plans. And a funeral home in the Southtowns recently became the first in Erie County to get certified in green burials.
"We've embraced it wholeheartedly," said Charles Castiglia, owner of Lakeside Memorial Funeral Home. "Anything you can do to try to help make the world a better place, it's worth doing."
They have funeral homes in Hamburg and West Seneca. They did their first green burial in November of 2025 and partnered with the Forest Lawn Cemetery Group, which offers green burial options in Hamburg and Attica.
"I think the green burial is sort of the best of both worlds," said Julie Snyder, CEO of Forest Lawn Cemetery Group. "You really are returning to the earth, probably in the most natural way."
How does it work?
It typically means no embalming chemicals are used to preserve the body.
"You'd be buried in either a shroud or a casket that is made to be biodegradable, made of seagrass, bamboo, willow," said Castiglia.
The plots are prepared differently and don't use typical headstones. Some allow the growth of grass and plants on top of burial plots.
In Western New York, there are two other certified funeral homes, which means they're trained to handle these burials.
"It's similar to what Jewish and Islamic communities have been using as end-of-life rites all along," said Emily Miller, who sits on the board of directors for the Green Burial Council. "More recently, it's become something that consumers would choose not just because of religious tradition, but also because of their concern for the environment."
And it's something you want to consider ahead of time.
"This isn't a decision made at the time of death," said Snyder. "Funeral homes trained in this are going to treat that body very naturally, gonna go into the earth usually within 24 to 48 hours within passing."
WATCH: 'Best of both worlds': Southtowns funeral home now offering green burials
What's the cost?
It'll be cheaper than most traditional burials. Cremation is still the least expensive, but not the most environmentally friendly option.
"Every time you're cremating someone, you're generating 500 pounds of carbon dioxide," said Castiglia.
He says it's a middle ground, cost-wise.
To learn more about green burials, click here. For more information from Forest Lawn, click here. For more information about Lakeside, click here.
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