VA creates green burials at three national cemeteries

In November 2024, VA's National Cemetery Administration (NCA) officially opened Green Burial sections at the Pikes Peak National Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado; the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix, Arizona, and Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida. The number of green burial sites at each cemetery are 152, 155 and 222, respectively.

Green burials are a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact, which aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health and the restoration and/or preservation of habitat.

In 2014, NCA conducted a nationwide survey asking Veterans' interest in burial and memorial options not then offered at national cemeteries. Forty-one percent of respondents agreed that VA should offer an environmentally friendly burial option, including 48% of Veteran respondents between the ages of 18 and 39. In addition, 75% of Veterans interviewed agreed that burial in a defined, naturalistic section in a national cemetery would be acceptable and dignified.

In 2022, Congress authorized VA to establish green burial sections through the National Cemeteries Preservation and Protection Act. The law provides that remains interred in a green burial section must be prepared for burial in a manner that does not involve chemicals or embalming fluids, and require the use of non-toxic and biodegradable materials, such as caskets, shrouds and urns.

"NCA is pleased to begin offering this new option to Veterans and their family members eligible for interment in a VA national cemetery," said Ronald E. Walters, VA's acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs. "It reflects our commitment to understand and address the emerging burial preferences of Veterans and their loved ones."

NCA will accept both cremated and intact remains for interment in green burial sections. While green burial sections are new, NCA has always accepted remains that are prepared naturally and/or presented in a biodegradable container for burial in VA national cemeteries, and it will continue to do so at its open cemeteries even if they are not one of the three pilot sites.

For information about VA burial benefits, visit the NCA website at www.cem.va.gov, or call toll free at 800-827-1000. For advance burial planning for you and your family, visit NCA's pre-need eligibility website.