Summary:
If you’ve recently lost someone — or you’re planning ahead for yourself — you’ve probably run into a lot of terms that sound meaningful but aren’t clearly explained. Green burial. Natural burial. Aquamation. Ash scattering. It can feel like you need a glossary just to start making decisions.
We’ve put together this guide to break it all down. You’ll find the main eco-friendly funeral options available today, what actually happens with cremated remains, and what’s legal, logistically realistic, and genuinely meaningful for Nassau County families. If you’re in our area, there’s also a local option worth knowing about that most people don’t consider until someone mentions it.
Eco-Friendly Funeral Options: What Does "Green Burial" Actually Mean?
“Green burial” is an umbrella term for any end-of-life practice that reduces environmental impact compared to conventional burial. Traditional burial involves embalming chemicals, concrete vaults, metal or hardwood caskets, and permanent land use — none of which are particularly gentle on the earth. Green burial options sidestep most or all of that.
The category is broader than most people realize. It includes land-based natural burial, aquamation, human composting, biodegradable urns, and water-based options like ash scattering at sea. Each one works differently, and they aren’t all available everywhere. What they share is a commitment to letting the body return to the environment without unnecessary intervention.
Natural Green Burial: What It Looks Like on Land
A natural burial — sometimes called a conservation burial — skips the embalming, the vault, and the traditional casket. The body is buried directly in the earth, often wrapped in a shroud or placed in a biodegradable container, in a designated natural burial ground. Over time, the body decomposes naturally and returns to the soil. Some conservation burial grounds double as wildlife preserves, meaning the land itself is protected in perpetuity.
In New York, natural burial is legal. The most well-known option is Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve in Newfield, NY — but that’s upstate, hours from Nassau County. For families on Long Island, the geographic reality is that natural burial grounds are not nearby. That distance is one reason more Nassau County families are looking at water-based alternatives, particularly ash scattering at sea, which is accessible right from the South Shore.
Natural burial tends to appeal to people who want something grounded and unhurried — a ceremony that feels connected to the land. It’s a meaningful option, but it does require some planning around location, especially if your family is in Nassau County and doesn’t want to travel far for the service or for future visits.
One thing worth noting: natural burial typically requires a non-embalmed body, which means the timeline between death and burial is shorter than with conventional services. Families who choose this path should be prepared to move quickly, or work with a funeral home that can accommodate the logistics.
Eco-Friendly Burial Options Beyond the Ground: Aquamation, Composting, and More
Beyond traditional natural burial, a handful of newer methods have emerged in recent years, and they’re worth understanding even if they’re not yet available everywhere.
Aquamation — also called alkaline hydrolysis or water cremation — uses water, heat, and a gentle alkaline solution to break down the body over several hours. The result is a set of bone fragments similar to those from flame cremation, and a sterile liquid that’s returned to the water cycle. It’s considered more energy-efficient than conventional cremation and is available in New York through select providers.
Human composting, sometimes called natural organic reduction or terramation, converts the body into nutrient-rich soil over a period of weeks. It’s legal in New York and offered by a small number of specialized providers. The idea appeals to people who want their death to actively contribute to new life — literally returning to the earth as soil.
Biodegradable urns are a simpler variation: cremated remains are placed in a container designed to break down naturally when buried in the ground or submerged in water. Some designs incorporate seeds, so a tree or plant eventually grows in the location. These can be used in conjunction with a sea burial, a natural burial, or even a private memorial in a garden.
Each of these options sits under the broader eco-friendly burial umbrella, and each one reflects a different set of values. The right choice depends on what feels meaningful to your family — and what’s actually accessible where you live.
What to Do With Cremation Ashes: Your Real Options Explained
More than 63% of Americans now choose cremation over traditional burial. That shift has created a question that doesn’t get talked about enough: once you have the ashes, what do you actually do with them?
Most families receive the cremated remains, bring them home, and then — sometimes for months or years — aren’t sure what the next step is. It’s more common than you’d think. The decision feels significant, and without clear information about what’s available and what’s allowed, it’s easy to delay it indefinitely.
What Can You Do With Ashes After Cremation? All the Options
The options for cremated remains are wider than most people realize. Families can keep them at home in an urn, scatter them in a meaningful location on land, incorporate them into keepsakes like jewelry or glass art, have them pressed into a diamond, or scatter them at sea. Some families divide the ashes among several family members, each keeping a small portion. Others choose a single, definitive act — a ceremony that marks a clear goodbye.
Keeping ashes at home is the most common choice, at least in the short term. It doesn’t require any planning or permits, and it keeps the person close. But for many families, it doesn’t feel like a final resting place — it feels like a pause. The ashes stay on the mantel, or in a closet, while the family waits for clarity on what to do next.
Scattering on land is another option, but it comes with more restrictions than most people expect. Private property requires permission from the landowner. Public parks and beaches have their own rules, and many don’t allow scattering at all. Spreading ashes on the beach — directly on the sand or from the shoreline — isn’t permitted in most jurisdictions. The same applies to spreading ashes at a beach from a pier or dock. If you want to scatter ashes in or near the ocean, you need a vessel that can travel offshore.
Keepsake options — jewelry, glass art, memorial diamonds — are a meaningful complement to a ceremony, not a replacement for one. Many families do both: hold a scattering ceremony and keep a small portion in a piece of jewelry.
Scattering cremated remains at sea is one of the most eco-friendly burial options available — and for Nassau County families, it’s also one of the most geographically natural choices. The South Shore of Long Island sits right at the water’s edge. Towns like Freeport, Oceanside, and Lynbrook are minutes from the marina. The ocean isn’t an abstract concept here — it’s part of daily life.
Here’s how it actually works. Under the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, the EPA authorizes burial at sea under a general permit. No permit application is required before the ceremony. What is required is that the scattering takes place at least three nautical miles from land, and that the family — or the company performing the service — reports it to the EPA within 30 days using the Burial at Sea Reporting Form. That’s it. It’s a notification, not a request for approval.
This is the part that surprises most people. The process is simpler than they assumed, and it’s been legal for decades. What it does require is a proper vessel with a licensed captain — you can’t scatter ashes from a beach, a pier, or from just offshore. The three-nautical-mile rule exists to protect the coastline, and it’s enforced.
We conduct sea burial ceremonies aboard the Seaspray, a Coast Guard-inspected vessel led by Master Captain Scott Schafer, departing from Freeport marina. The vessel sits low in the water, which makes the moment of releasing the ashes feel natural and close — not distant or rushed. Families can attend and participate directly, or opt for an unattended service and receive a GPS coordinate certificate documenting exactly where your loved one was laid to rest. Both options are handled with the same care, and we manage all required documentation on your behalf.
For Nassau County families who want to honor someone with a ceremony that feels genuinely connected to this place — the South Shore, the water, the Long Island coastline — a sea burial off Point Lookout is something worth considering. It’s not an exotic alternative. For a lot of families here, it’s the one that finally feels right.
Green Burial Services in Nassau County: Finding the Option That Fits
There’s no single right answer when it comes to eco-friendly farewell options. Natural burial, aquamation, human composting, ash scattering — each one reflects something different about the person being honored and the family doing the honoring. What matters is that you understand what’s actually available, what’s realistic given where you live, and what will feel meaningful when the day comes.
For Nassau County families, the ocean is already part of the picture. A sea burial ceremony isn’t a departure from Long Island life — in a lot of ways, it’s an expression of it. And it’s more accessible, more legal, and more documented than most people expect before they look into it.
If you’re exploring green burial services for a loved one — or planning ahead for yourself — Eternal Peace Sea Burials is here to answer your questions without pressure. Reach out to Burial Coordinator Maria Brusalis at 631-668-5800 to talk through what’s possible.