Those who wish to be buried, but like to make a much smaller impact on the environment than traditional casket burial, find an alternative in green burial. Here the body is prepared without embalming fluid or other ecologically harmful chemicals, laid in a biodegradable casket or just wrapped in a burial shroud, and then buried in a green cemetery or land preservation site without the use of a casket vault or grave liner. Instead of traditional tombstones to mark the graveside, here one might find a flat natural stone or just a plaque on a nearby tree, and will find the grave with the help of a GPS. The land is kept as natural as possible, with wildlife as an integral part of it.

Though green burial was common among U.S. pioneers, who were frequently buried directly into the ground, it became uncommon in the U.S. until recently. Ramsey Creek preserve in South Carolina opened in 1996 as the first "green cemetery" in the United States. At the present, Green Burial and Conservation Cemeteries exist in California, Florida, New York State, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington State. There is also interest and talks about creating a Conservation Cemetery here in Oregon. Currently there are four cemeteries, I am aware of, which either have set aside a separate area for or offer natural/green burial within their active sections. They are: George Cemetery in Estacada, Oak Hill Cemetery and Sunset Hills Cemetery in Eugene, and Valley Memorial Park in Hillsboro.