Celebration of Life
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Celebrate Green with an eco-friendly Celebration of Life
While the sadness surrounding losing a loved one can make it difficult, planning a celebration of life may help us when we are mourning. That's probably why this type of event has gained in popularity over the years, sometimes replacing a traditional funeral and sometimes standing on its own.
For a general outline on how to plan a Celebration of Life ceremony, click here.
A good book on the topic is this one, Planning a Celebration of Life, A Simple Guide for Turning a Memorial Service into a Celebration of Life
It is hard to imagine a more likely candidate for what should rightly be the most eco-friendly celebration of all, Earth-to-Earth, being the basis for it. Yet, it may be difficult to remain eco-aware when you are dealing with profound sorrow.
This is one reason, as with pre-planned funerals, a little thought beforehand goes a long way.
As with all events, there are choices to be made. For the basics, be sure to check out the first chapter of our book, Celebrate Green! You also might want to consider some of the following when planning an eco-friendly Celebration of Life.
- Instead of gathering from across the country, which generally entails a great expenditure of gas, how about setting up a virtual phone call or gather online. Using video conferencing, you can celebrate together without leaving home.
- If you are going to get together in person, choose an outdoor site if at all possible. Even in winter, or in the rain, being outdoors brings that feeling of being close to all humanity and the natural world of which we all are a part.
- If you are providing food, make it local and organic if possible.
- Avoid printing even if you are gathering in person. Let everyone know they can visit a website to provide access to video or photos of the loved one.
- In memory of the person who has passed away, think nature. Ask participants to plant a tree, bush or perennial plant that was a favorite of the deceased or is named in a song, piece of poetry or book he particularly enjoyed. Make a garden sign and place it near the plant, "For Pat, In her Memory, this Flower Grows." If the person you lost was an active individual who loved the outdoors, you could end the Celebration of Life gathering by planning a garden for someone who would love to have one, but cannot do the hard work of creating one on her own.
- How about suggesting an annual Celebration of Life where you do something thoughtful for someone else in the name of the person who passed away. Ask everyone who loved this person to do this annually in their name on the deceased's birthday, for instance.
- Think meaning. If you are gathering in a place where you can arrange the chairs, do it in a circle which echoes not only the shape of the Earth, but idea of the endless circle of life. Because a Celebration of Life is a relatively new concept, and has no ties to any particular religious tradition, we are free to create any traditions we wish.
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