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Green Burial

Green Burial

Green burial, also known as natural burial, is the act of interring a person’s whole body in a manner that does not inhibit the decomposition process but allows the person’s body to recycle naturally. Burial verses cremation is only what will happen to a person’s physical body following death. A person can have any type of arrangements leading up to or following the burial. Our staff will guide you through all of the available options, helping you put together arrangements that will be meaningful and representative of the unique life lived.

Green, or natural burial emphasizes environmental sustainability. The idea behind green burial is for the person’s body to recycle naturally into the earth. The person’s body is often bathed but is not treated with any embalming chemicals. They are placed in a biodegradable casket or burial shroud and laid directly into the earth without an outer burial container.

The interest in green burial has grown steadily over the last decade and more and more cemeteries are starting to offer green burial sections. These sections tend not to require an outer burial container and are kept up in a more natural way. Green burial plots may be unmarked or marked by a simple stone or natural marker. The maintenance in these sections are not as manicured as in other parts of the cemetery, maintaining more of the native vegetation and natural landscape.

If you or your loved one has chosen natural burial as the choice for final disposition, there are other decisions that need to be considered depending upon your individual needs and preferences. We encourage everyone to think about these decisions long in advance so that their families will know exactly what their wishes are when the time comes. The cost for these arrangements will be based on those services that Mt. Scott Funeral Home will be providing for you and your family. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us for comprehensive pricing based on your individual needs.



General Price List



Options to Consider When Choosing Green Burial

  • Traditional Service - A traditional funeral service is a ceremony which serves to celebrate, honor, and remember the life of the deceased with the person’s casket physically present. It is most commonly held at the funeral home or at a church, but can be held in a variety of other places.
  • Graveside Service - A graveside service is a funeral service held inside the cemetery, most commonly at the gravesite. A graveside service can follow a traditional funeral service or can be a stand-alone event.
  • Memorial Service - A memorial service is a service which takes place without the person’s physical body present. It is a ceremony which serves to celebrate, honor, and remember the life of the deceased. This type of service can be held at the funeral home or at a church but can also be held in a variety of other places.
  • Celebration of Life - A celebration of life is a ceremony held to celebrate the life of the one who has passed away. They are usually not somber events, but rather a time for storytelling and remembering the joy the loved one brought to others. A celebration of life can be a stand alone event, but is more often times held in conjunction with a more traditional service or memorial service, commonly held after. We have on-site facilities at Mt. Scott Funeral Home that can accommodate a celebration of life event. We can also assist with catering needs.
  • Viewing or Visitation - A viewing gives your family and friends the opportunity to say goodbye. This can be done at the funeral home prior to the funeral service and/or at the service itself. Viewings play an extremely important role in helping people move through the grieving process in a healthy way. A viewing not only gives those impacted by the loss an opportunity to say a final goodbye, but it provides a reality that the loss has actually occurred.
  • Immediate Burial - This is the most basic service option for burial. An immediate burial is the interment of a person in the days immediately following the death. This option does not include a service or ceremony of any kind.
  • Forwarding or Receiving a person to/from another funeral home - Mt. Scott Funeral Home can assist your family with transporting a loved one who has passed away in the area to another funeral home in an outside state for burial. Likewise, we can assist your family with receiving your loved one who has passed away in another state and needs to be transported back to the area for burial. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us to discuss this further.
  • Natural Casket or Burial Shroud - We offer a wide variety of encasements which can be used for natural burial. When you purchase a casket through our funeral home, we stand behind its quality and availability. We can have most caskets we offer delivered to us within 24 hours, even in the same day if needed. If any casket we order, arrives to us damaged in anyway, we are able to have it replaced immediately, without any hassle to the family. All of our caskets are purchased through a reputable casket manufacturer who manufactures the caskets we offer in the United States. The companies we use personally deliver the caskets to us, never using an outside company for delivery, ensuring they are handled correctly and with care.



Cemeteries


Funeral homes and cemeteries are separate businesses, even when they reside on the same property, so your family will need to choose a funeral home and a cemetery when selecting natural or green burial. Mt. Scott Funeral Home can assist with a burial into any cemetery, anywhere. Cemetery costs will vary greatly depending on the cemetery itself and the property you select. Not all cemeteries offer natural burial sections, it is important to inquire with the cemetery directly regarding the available options.



Cemetery Costs to Consider


When selecting green burial there are several cemetery costs to consider. We encourage families to consider all of the costs in totality when comparing cemeteries to get the most comprehensive picture.

  • The Property - Burial spaces within each cemetery will vary depending on the location of the property selected.
  • Opening and Closing - This is the cost for the cemetery to physically open the grave space, lay the individual to rest, and close the space again.
  • Headstone, Monument, or Memorialization - This is usually chosen after a space has been selected. This can be done right away or sometime in the future. Each cemetery has varying regulations regarding the size and type of marker or memorialization options for each space chosen within the cemetery. In most cases these can be purchased directly through the funeral home or cemetery. We encourage families to check the costs with both entities before making a selection.
  • Administrative Fees - Some cemeteries may add additional administrative costs. It is important to inquire about the possibility of these fees.



Frequently Asked Questions

What is a funeral service?

What is a funeral service?

A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, honoring, and remembering the life of a person who has passed away. While specific customs, traditions, and practices differ across different cultures and religions, all funerals serve the key purpose of giving the bereaved a special time and place to say goodbye and find comfort and healing in one another.

Why should I have a service?

Why should I have a service?

Funeral services and memorial services provide a critical piece to helping you through the grieving process. A service provides a time and place to reflect upon and remember someone who had meaning in your life and allow you to begin the healing process. It also creates a setting for friends and family to show their support and to be supported.

Can I personalize my loved one’s service?

Can I personalize my loved one’s service?

Absolutely! Our staff has years of experience getting to know families and incorporating their loved ones' hobbies, activities, interests, and unique requests into meaningful and memorable services. Don’t hesitate to make a request — we’re honored to work with you to create a service that truly reflects and celebrates your loved one’s individual life.

Can personal items be buried with my loved one?

Can personal items be buried with my loved one?

Absolutely! We encourage families to bring in personal items for their loved ones. Families can place the items directly with their loved ones or leave them for our staff to place for them.

Do I have to purchase a casket from the funeral home?

Do I have to purchase a casket from the funeral home?

No. Families can choose to purchase a casket from any vendor they choose. If you choose to use an outside vendor to purchase a casket there are some factors to consider. How long will it take for the casket to arrive at the funeral home? Will it arrive in time for the service? If the casket arrives damaged, what is my recourse? Can a new one be delivered before its needed? How will the casket come packaged? Will I need to dispose of any excess packing materials? Who will be delivering the casket?

Mt. Scott Funeral Home has a wide variety of caskets in all price ranges. When you purchase a casket through our funeral home, we stand behind its quality and availability. We can have most of the caskets we offer delivered to us within 24 hours, even same day if needed. If any of our caskets arrive with any damage, we are able to have it replaced immediately, without any hassle to the family. All of our caskets are purchased through a reputable casket manufacturer who manufactures the caskets we offer in the United States. The companies we use personally deliver the caskets to us, never using an outside company for delivery, ensuring they are handled correctly and with care.

Can I have a viewing if my loved one has chosen natural burial and is not embalmed?

Can I have a viewing if my loved one has chosen natural burial and is not embalmed?

Yes. Except in certain special situations, embalming is NOT required by law. It is possible to have a limited viewing of a loved one without embalming.

Why should I have a viewing?

Why should I have a viewing?

Viewings play an extremely important role in helping people move through the grieving process in a healthy way. A viewing not only gives those impacted by the loss an opportunity to say a final goodbye, but it provides a reality that the loss has actually occurred.

Can there still be a viewing if my loved one has donated organs or had an autopsy?

Can there still be a viewing if my loved one has donated organs or had an autopsy?

Yes. Autopsies and organ donations generally do not affect your ability to have an open-casket viewing.

Do we have to be present for the burial?

Do we have to be present for the burial?

No. Our staff will deliver your loved one into the care of the cemetery and be present until the placement has occurred. Family members can attend the burial if they choose, but are not required to be present.

Do I have to purchase all of the required cemetery merchandise from the cemetery directly?

Do I have to purchase all of the required cemetery merchandise from the cemetery directly?

No. Certain items such as outer burial containers, headstones or monuments, and urns can all be purchased through both the cemetery and/or the funeral home. We encourage families to compare the costs for these items through both places before making a selection.

Who has the authority to control a persons final disposition?

Who has the authority to control a persons final disposition?

The State of Oregon has a very clear order as to who has the right to control a person’s final disposition when they pass away (ORS 97.130). The statute is lengthy, but the general order is as follows:

1. Any individual of sound mind who is 18 years or older can authorize their own disposition
2. Any individual designated by the deceased by written instrument who is 18 years or older
3. The spouse of the decedent
4. Children of the decedent who are 18 years of age or older
5. Parents of the decedent
6. Siblings of the decedent
7. Guardian of the decedent at the time of death
8. A person in the next degree of kindred to the decedent
9. The personal representative of the estate of the decedent
10. The person nominated as the personal representative of the decedent in the decedent’s last will and testament
11. A public health officer


I had power of attorney over my loved one, now that they have passed can I authorize their funeral arrangements?

I had power of attorney over my loved one, now that they have passed can I authorize their funeral arrangements?

No. Power of attorney authorization ends at death. Unless the deceased had made a prior legal designation of right to control disposition by a written instrument, the person who would be authorized to make decisions regarding burial and funeral arrangements would default to the State of Oregon’s guidelines of right to control disposition of remains. With that said, a person with a power of attorney could put funeral arrangements in place on behalf of the individual BEFORE their death, so long as the power of attorney authorization allows for it, and is presented at the time of signing.

Why should I choose Mt. Scott Funeral Home?

Why should I choose Mt. Scott Funeral Home?

• Mt. Scott Funeral Home is a private, family owned and operated funeral home, that has been serving families for almost 100 years. You will find that our costs are all-inclusive. Our experienced funeral directors will sit down with your family and walk you through the entire process from start to finish.
• We have on-site staff available to answer our phones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When you call us you will always to talk to one of our staff members, in our building, and never an answering service.
• We have funeral directors available in the office 7 days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., to answer questions, meet with families, and assist with services.
• We never charge overtime fees for evenings or weekends.
• We offer every family we serve, a one-time, private viewing for the immediate family members prior to burial or cremation, at no additional cost. We do not limit the number of immediate family members who can attend, and follow the time limit to what the State of Oregon allows.
• We take care of any and all paperwork, including death certificates, veteran’s paperwork and flag applications, insurance assignments, preparation assistance with and submitting obituary notifications, etc. at no additional cost to our families.
• We offer an online Tribute Wall on our website for each person we serve at no additional cost.
• We have facilities that can accommodate most any type of service from small and intimate gatherings to larger groups, including reception facilities and larger rooms for viewings.
• We have staff dedicated to handling death certificates resulting in a faster processing time for our families.
• We strongly believe in treating the families we serve the way we would want our own families be treated and we hold ourselves to the highest standard of professionalism and care.

Can I plan my own funeral?

Can I plan my own funeral?

Absolutely! In fact, we strongly encourage and recommend that everyone take care of their own arrangements long before they need them. By taking care of your arrangements now you:

• Alleviate the burden from your loved ones having to make these decisions for you at perhaps one of the most difficult times in their lives.
• You decide the arrangements you want that best represent your life…it’s your story to tell!
• You are guaranteed to pay no more than today’s costs for your arrangements regardless of inflation.
• You have flexible payment options.

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Mt. Scott Funeral Home | (503) 771-1171
4205 SE. 59th Ave. Portland, OR 97206

 

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