The GBC states it is ?EUR??,,????'??developing the first certification program in the deathcare industry so the public can distinguish providers who operate in a consumer and environmentally-friendly manner from those who don?EUR??,,????'???t.?EUR??,,????'??

The GBC works with conservation organizations to develop burial grounds that protect natural areas and further its long-term stewardship objectives.

The GBC has developed two levels of standards for green burial:

1. Conservation Burial Ground ?EUR??,,????'??+a cemetery that always involves an established conservation organization as a long-term steward.
2. Natural Burial Ground ?EUR??,,????'??+a cemetery that encourages sustainable and ethical practices

Burial criteria for green burial

• No toxic chemicals used in the bodies of decedents.
• No vaults.
• Burial containers or shrouds of biodegradable materials;
• Monuments (if used at all) must be either living (trees, wildflowers) or ecologically functional (field stones, boulders) and appropriate to the surroundings.
• Excavation and burial techniques/technology must minimize impact on surrounding land and protect native plant diversity.
• Burial site must be documented before burial and after revegetation