How to Plan an Eco-Friendly Memorial: A Complete Guide for 2025
A guide for families who want to honour a life—and care for the planet, too.
Are you planning a memorial for someone who loved nature? Or maybe you're just trying to make more thoughtful, low-impact choices as you say goodbye.
Either way, you're not alone. More Canadians are looking for memorial options that feel personal, meaningful, and environmentally conscious.
Whether that means planting a tree, gathering outdoors, or choosing biodegradable materials, there are beautiful ways to honour someone while keeping the planet in mind.
Here's a guide to planning an eco-friendly memorial in Canada—one that's grounded in love, not excess.
1. Choose a Natural Setting
One of the simplest ways to reduce the environmental impact of a memorial is to hold it outside. Nature creates the setting—no need for elaborate decorations or heavy logistics.
Consider a local park or conservation area, a peaceful forest trail, riverside, or lakefront spot. Your own backyard can be perfect for an intimate gathering, or you might choose a memorial forest or natural burial ground for something more formal.
If you're planning to scatter ashes or host a larger gathering, make sure to check local regulations first. Some municipalities or parks require permits or restrict where ashes can be released.
2. Keep the Materials Simple and Biodegradable
Eco-friendly memorials often involve using fewer materials—and choosing ones that naturally break down.
Thoughtful material choices:
For urns, biodegradable options made from paper, salt, sand, or ones designed to grow into trees offer a beautiful return to nature. Green burial caskets made of untreated wood, wicker, or cardboard contain no metal or varnish that could harm the environment. Simple fabric shrouds of cotton or linen provide another gentle alternative to traditional caskets in natural burial settings. Instead of printed programs, consider going paperless with a QR code that links to an online memorial page where guests can share memories and photos.
Reducing waste doesn't mean cutting corners. In most cases, it means choosing fewer, better, more intentional details.
3. Work with the Right Provider
One of the biggest barriers to planning a more personal or eco-friendly memorial is time—and control.
Traditional funeral homes often push families into quick decisions. Services are usually booked within days, with little flexibility in location, style, or tone. You're offered a menu of options—but not much freedom to create something truly reflective of the person you've lost.
Look for providers who handle the essentials—transportation, cremation, paperwork—without the pressure to make quick decisions. The right provider will give you time to plan something meaningful when you're ready, support your choice of date and setting, accommodate natural burial options and biodegradable materials, and respect your vision rather than pushing a template approach.
This approach allows you to hold the memorial in nature, in a backyard, or somewhere personal, using whatever materials feel right—without being told "that's not how it's done."
4. Honour Their Memory with Something That Grows
Living tributes are a beautiful, lasting way to honour someone—and they have a positive impact on the planet, too.
Living memorial ideas:
You might plant a tree in their name at home or through a memorial forest, create a small garden using native plants and pollinator-friendly flowers, or choose a tree urn that literally grows from their ashes into something beautiful. Instead of sending flowers, consider supporting a conservation group they cared about—a gift that keeps giving to the causes that mattered to them.
These gestures often feel more meaningful than traditional keepsakes—and they can be revisited for years to come.
5. Skip the Plastics and Unnecessary Extras
You don't need a lot to make a memorial feel special. In fact, some of the most meaningful gatherings are the simplest ones.
Choose local, seasonal flowers or skip florals altogether in favor of the natural beauty around you. Avoid balloons, lanterns, or foam floral blocks that don't break down naturally. For refreshments, offer plant-based or locally sourced food with reusable or compostable tableware. Instead of printing photos or programs, share a digital guestbook or tribute slideshow that guests can contribute to and revisit over time.
Focus on the experience and the stories—not the stuff.
6. Be Thoughtful About Travel and Guests
Canada is big—and guests often travel far to attend memorials. If you're trying to reduce your footprint or keep things simple, consider these alternatives:
You might offer a livestream or recorded video tribute for out-of-town guests, keeping the physical gathering small and local while inviting others to join virtually. Encourage carpooling or public transit for those who do attend, or plan a memorial hike or nature walk instead of a formal indoor service.
These choices often create a more relaxed and inclusive atmosphere, too.
7. Ask the Right Questions About Green Options
If you're working with a funeral provider, ask directly about sustainable options:
Ask important questions: Do you offer biodegradable urns or caskets? Can I skip embalming or opt for refrigeration? Are you familiar with natural burial grounds or scattering regulations in my area? Can we plan the memorial ourselves on our timeline? Their answers will tell you whether they're truly committed to supporting your green memorial vision.
If the answers feel rigid or unclear, trust your gut—it may be time to work with someone who shares your values.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, planning a memorial isn’t about following tradition—it’s about honouring someone’s life in a way that feels true to who they were.
If you're looking for a greener, more personal way to say goodbye, Cleo makes it possible. We handle the essentials—transport, cremation, paperwork—so you have the time and freedom to plan a memorial that reflects your person’s values, whether that means planting a tree, gathering outside, or keeping things beautifully simple.
We’re not a traditional funeral home. And that’s exactly the point.
With Cleo, there’s no pressure, no upselling—just kind, thoughtful support to help you take the next step. However you choose to honour your person, we’re here to make it easier.
→ Have questions or want to talk it through? Call us any time at (438) 817-1770. We’re ready when you are.