Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s landscapes are as varied as the people who call it home , from Appalachian ridgelines and rolling Amish farmland to the quiet forests that turn golden each fall. It’s a state where the connection between people and place runs deep, and where a growing number of families are rediscovering the simple wisdom of returning naturally to the earth.
Across the state, green and hybrid burial grounds are beginning to take root, from forest preserves to family-run cemeteries choosing sustainability over excess. These spaces remind us that care for the dead and care for the land can be one and the same. They offer peace, biodiversity, and affordability, all while reconnecting end-of-life care to the rhythms of nature that Pennsylvanians have cherished for generations.
🌿The Woods Edge Green Burial at Paxtang Cemetery (hybrid) - Harrisburg, PA
Peaceful and private, The Ellipse is surrounded by a variety of mature trees and shrubs. In place of individual monuments, a granite ledger for communal inscriptions of names of the deceased is located in the area’s center to best preserve its natural setting. Every grave space in The Ellipse allows for one full body burial or two sets of cremated remains. Both full body and cremation interments take place without the use of any type of permanent outer container. Historical Paxtang Cemetery was established in 1898 on what used to be the Thomas Rutherford Farm on Paxtang Ave. There are thirty-three beautiful acres of rolling hills, gentle slopes and level lands. Twelve wooded acres are dedicated to the Green Burial area called The Wood's Edge. The property adjoins the Capital Area Greenbelt on the west side and Paxtang Ave. on the East Side.
There have been close to 12,000 interments in the cemetery over the last 126 years and lots of room for future expansion for another 126 years.
Since 2006 Paxtang Cemetery has been a family-owned by Alesia and James Skinner. It is unique to the area with its beautiful perennial gardens located throughout and a breathtaking view of three neighboring mountainsides from the summit. It is also the only green burial certified cemetery in Central Pennsylvania where every burial takes part in restoration of our PA native forest.
Paxtang Cemetery is blessed with beautiful and natural surroundings that are unlike any other cemetery in Central Pennsylvania; managed by a 10-year plan to continue to enhance this beautiful park with yet more gardens and other projects to meet the diverse needs of our families. Come and visit and see what makes Paxtang Cemetery so special.
🌿Penn Forest Natural Cemetery - Verona, PA
Just outside Pittsburgh, in the wooded hills of Penn Hills, lies Penn Forest Natural Burial Park, Pennsylvania’s first and only exclusively natural burial ground. Spread across 31 acres of forest and meadow bordered by Plum Creek, Penn Forest offers a serene, eco-conscious resting place where every burial contributes to the renewal of the land.
Since 2011, Penn Forest has been certified by the Green Burial Council, maintaining some of the nation’s highest environmental standards. Ten acres are permanently preserved as wildlife habitat, ensuring that each interment not only honors a life, but also supports native ecosystems and biodiversity.
Penn Forest welcomes people of all faiths, offering both full-body and cremated remains burials, as well as scattering among native wildflowers. No vaults, embalming, or synthetic materials are used, only biodegradable shrouds and caskets, returning the body naturally to the soil.
🌿Nature’s Sanctuary at Laurel HIll West Cemetery (hybrid) - Philadelphia, PA
Nature’s Sanctuary is our award-winning green burial area at Laurel Hill West. Establishing a powerful connection between people, nature and community, Nature’s Sanctuary is planted with indigenous grasses, trees, and shrubs and is currently maintained as a meadow transitioning into a successional forest. All graves are hand-dug for minimal environmental impact; no gas-powered equipment is used. Only biodegradable or environmentally friendly caskets, shrouds, and urns are allowed. Nature’s Sanctuary is a regenerative landscape that offers families a tranquil environment and connection to the earth.
🌿Elper’s Church Greenwood Glen Cemetery (hybrid) - Leesport, PA
Epler’s Church has been providing burial services for its members and the community at large since the congregation was founded in 1737. The oldest part of the facility, which is now inactive, contains the remains of more than 1,200 people including veterans from the Revolutionary War period.
The active parts of the cemetery include a “Traditional” burial area, Cremation burial area, and the “Green” or “Natural” burial area (Epler’s Greenwood Glen). Certification by the Green Burial Council will give our cemetery the status of a “Hybrid” cemetery, which means that we can handle almost any type of burial that is allowed by law. Our facility also includes a Unicursal Labyrinth for meditative walking.
🌿Gethsemane Cemetery (hybrid) - Reading, PA
Our natural burial section is different from our other sections. There are no manicured lawns and the majority of the section is covered in native green grasses, wild flowers and stands of trees. Paths will wander through the section to allow for visitation and memorialization is limited to an inscribed field stone, as no manufactured memorials will be permitted. Metal caskets and burial vaults are also not permitted. The body may be wrapped in a shroud or placed in a completely biodegradable casket. Our hope is to provide burial while reducing the environmental impact to the greatest degree possible. Due to the energy use and possible environmental concerns of the cremation process, cremated remains will not be permitted in the section of St. Kateri Tekakwitha.
🌿Wellsboro Cemetery (hybrid) - Wellsboro, PA
We are pleased to say that we are considered a Hybrid Cemetery so there is a choice between Green or Traditional. A Green Burial is burial where no embalming is allowed - unless GBC approved (nontoxic chemicals) are used. Any burial container used is made of only natural, biodegradable materials. Such as a burial shroud, wicker basket coffin, cardboard box coffin (such as what is used for cremation), or a wooden box. No vault or liner is used. The body is simply placed into the ground and becomes one with the earth again. The family is given the option to participate in the burial process by helping to close the grave if they choose. Extra shovels can be supplied if this is wanted. Many find this gives them closure and in some ways a bit healing to feel as though they could show one last act of love.
For those who don’t yet have a local green option, the best next step is often to engage with existing cemeteries about going hybrid. Many traditional cemeteries already have the infrastructure and zoning, they just need to know that the demand exists. Start by meeting with the cemetery board or sexton to ask simple questions: Would they consider allowing biodegradable caskets or shrouds? Could vaults be made optional? Are there unused sections that could remain natural and un-mowed? When framed as both an ecological and community benefit, these conversations often open doors rather than close them.
Pennsylvania’s forests have always been a place of renewal, a refuge, a teacher, and now, for many, a final resting place. With continued curiosity and courage, residents here can lead the way in transforming the Keystone State into one that honors life, death, and land as one continuous story. 🌿
If you want information on how to start your own natural burial cemetery, or you want to make me aware of another green, natural, or hybrid cemetery in this state, please reach out!
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