HAMBURG, N.Y. (WKBW) — These days, there are many options when it comes to making end-of-life plans. 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 West Seneca and Hamburg. 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 as well 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 only two funeral homes certified, which means they're trained to handle these burials, but this has been done for ages.
"It's similar to what Jewish and Islamic communities have been using as end-of-life rites all along, but 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," said Emily Miller, who sits on the board of directors for the Green Burial Council.
And it's something you want to consider ahead of time.
"This isn't a decision made at 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."
What's the cost?
It'll be cheaper than most traditional burials. Cremation is still the cheapest, but not the most green 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.
Snyder says Forest Lawn's green plots are between $3,000-3,500.
To learn more about green burials, click here. For more information about Lakeside, click here. For more information from Forest Lawn, click here.
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