Green Burial in Florida: Insights from the End of Life Doula Alliance Panel

We were honored to participate in the Florida End of Life Doula Alliance (FEOLDA) PANEL DISCUSSION with FLORIDA's GREEN BURIAL CEMETERIES FEOLDA Education.

This event brought together representatives from Florida’s dedicated green cemeteries to share practical insights and ecological considerations of natural burial. Each cemetery has its own story and approach, but we are united in the mission to restore land, honor life, and provide meaningful options for families seeking a sustainable end-of-life choice.

About FEOLDA

The Florida End of Life Doula Alliance (FEOLDA) is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to providing compassionate education and resources around death, dying, and after-death care. Their work supports families, end-of-life doulas, and community members in navigating choices with dignity and awareness.

One of FEOLDA’s signature initiatives is their monthly educational series, which offers free virtual programs to the public. These sessions cover a wide range of topics — from grief and caregiver support to practical guidance on body disposition options, home funerals, and green burial. Each month, experts and practitioners share both knowledge and lived experience, creating safe and welcoming spaces for learning.

Participating Cemeteries

The panel highlighted four of Florida’s leading natural and conservation cemeteries:

• Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve – Defuniak Springs: One of the state’s earliest natural burial preserves, where burial is integrated into a larger conservation landscape of longleaf pine and native forest.

• Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery – Gainesville: A nationally recognized conservation cemetery operated in partnership with Alachua Conservation Trust, protecting over 1,200 acres of land and habitat.

• Heartwood Preserve – Trinity: A conservation cemetery within an 87-acre nature preserve, offering natural burial alongside trails, education programs, and wildlife habitat.

• Hope Eternal Gardens – Punta Gorda: Southwest Florida’s first state-licensed natural burial cemetery, designed with memorial micro-forests, wetlands restoration, and community gathering spaces.

  
  

While each cemetery has its own unique history and model, we are united in our commitment to offering sustainable, meaningful burial options for Florida families.

What the Panel Covered

For those who could not attend, the conversation explored both practical and emotional dimensions of green burial:

• Burial logistics – what families can expect during a natural burial, from shrouds and caskets to the role of cemetery staff.

• Ecological impact – how natural and conservation cemeteries restore ecosystems, sequester carbon, and return land to thriving habitats.

• Planning ahead – how families can pre-plan with confidence, ensuring their values are honored and their loved ones feel supported.

Why Green Burial Matters

At Hope Eternal Gardens, we believe cemeteries can be places of healing — not only for families, but also for the land itself. Choosing natural burial means:

• No embalming chemicals

• No concrete burial vaults

• A return to the earth in a simple, ecological way

Families often tell us that this approach feels deeply personal and life-affirming. It allows them to participate in planting, remembrance, and renewal — creating legacies that grow with time.

Gratitude to FEOLDA

We are deeply grateful to FEOLDA for creating spaces where education and compassion come together to empower families with choice. By bringing cemeteries and community educators together, they are helping to grow awareness of sustainable end-of-life practices across Florida.