The Unexpected Earth Day Action
Pre-Planning Your Funeral as Earth Day Action
When you think of Earth Day, what comes to mind? Planting a tree, organizing a neighborhood cleanup, maybe finally remembering where you put that one tote bag full of other tote bags.
All of these are wonderful ways to honor our planet. But there is one Earth Day action that almost no one expects—and it might just be the most meaningful, lasting commitment you can make to the environment.
It is the act of preplanning your own funeral.
We know. Bear with us.
While it might seem like a heavy topic for a spring holiday, taking the time to plan ahead is actually a deeply empowering, life-affirming choice. At Mueller Memorial, and through our signature service, Interra Green Burial, we believe that the end of someone's life can reflect the values and customs they held while living. And if you want your final footprint to be a light one—if you want to genuinely return to the earth—making a plan today is the most crucial step you can take.
Why Your Wishes Need a Plan
Here is something that does not get talked about enough: when a death happens and there is no plan in place, your family is suddenly faced with over 150 decisions in the first day or two.
In the midst of grief, shock, and the practical chaos of loss, survivors will almost always reach for the most familiar, accessible options available to them–typically a traditional burial with embalming or a standard flame cremation. These are honorable choices that have served families for generations, and they remain the right fit for many people.
But if you envision a different kind of farewell–one that actively gives back to the earth–your family will not know that unless you tell them. And telling them, really telling them in a way that holds, means making a plan.
Sustainable Options to Consider
Through Interra Green Burial by Mueller Memorial, there are remarkable, eco-conscious options available right here in the Twin Cities:
- Water Cremation (Aquamation) uses water and a gentle alkaline solution instead of flame to return the body to its elements. It carries an estimated four to ten times less carbon impact than traditional flame cremation, and the cremated remains returned to the family are almost the same as those from conventional cremation, just a little more fine, lighter in color, and about 20% greater in volume.
- Green Burial is, in many ways, the oldest form of farewell humans have ever known—a body placed in a biodegradable shroud or woven casket, laid directly in the earth without embalming or concrete vaults, and allowed to return naturally. Interra by Mueller Memorial is one of only funeral providers in Minnesota certified by the national Green Burial Council, and they can help you find the right cemetery, from a dedicated natural burial ground to a hybrid cemetery that accommodates green burial alongside traditional plots.
- Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), also known as human composting or terramation, is the newest option and one of the most extraordinary. Over the course of several months, the body is gently transformed into about a cubic yard of rich, nutrient-dense soil. Families can claim that soil and use it for planting—a memorial garden, a tree, a forest. It became legal in Minnesota in 2024 and though there is not yet a provider in the state Mueller Memorial has been partnering with a trusted provider in Washington state to provide this service for Minnesotans now.
Each of these options is beautiful. Each of them is available. And none of them will happen by accident. If you want a sustainable end-of-life disposition, you have to plan for it—and you have to tell someone.
Making the Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide
Planning your return to the earth does not have to be overwhelming. Many families tell us that getting their plans in order brings a profound sense of peace—for themselves and for the people they love. Here is how you can take action today, right now, on Earth Day.
Step 1: Research and Reflect
Start by exploring your options. Consider what is important to your family traditions or faith. For instance in the Catholic faith the two accepted disposition methods are flame cremation and traditional or green burial. Jewish and Muslim traditions inherently incorporate green burial practices.
Spend some time on interraburial.com reading about green burial, water cremation, and body composting. Think about what feels right to you, not just ecologically but personally. What kind of goodbye reflects who you are and what you have valued?
Step 2: Choose Your Disposition and Memorialization
Choosing how your body will be cared for is only part of the picture. Think also about permanent memorialization—where you want to be, or where you want to remain. If you choose water cremation or human composting, your options for what comes next are wide and meaningful: ashes scattered in a place you love, placed in an ossuary or a burial niche in a columbarium, or transformed into smooth, tangible Parting Stones that your family can hold.
If you choose body composting, the resulting soil can be used to plant a memorial tree, nurture a garden, restore native landscapes, or be donated to forest restoration efforts. If you choose green burial, you might select a space in a natural burial cemetery like Prairie Oaks Memorial Eco Gardens, a cemetery with a dedicated green burial area like Resurrection in Mendota Heights, or a hybrid cemetery like Roselawn Cemetery in Roseville or Mound Cemetery of Brooklyn Center.
Step 3: Write It Down and Put It in a File
A plan only works if it is recorded somewhere that matters. This is where our Preplanning Specialist, Annie Saukko, comes in. Annie can meet with you at our St. Paul or White Bear Lake locations—or online by special arrangement—for a no-pressure conversation about your options. She will help you navigate the choices, answer your questions, create an individual cost estimate, and get everything properly documented in a file that will be there when your family needs it. You can reach Annie at 651-774-9797, at annie@muellermemorial.com, or make an appointment with her if you’re ready to start planning at https://www.muellermemorial.com/planning-ahead/planning-ahead
Step 4: Fund Your Plan
Making your wishes known is the first half of the equation; funding them is the second. By setting aside the funds now—held safely in a fully transferable, interest-bearing insurance policy—you secure funds that will be there to carry out your exact wishes when the time comes. It also lifts a significant financial expenditure from your family's shoulders at a time when they may not be expecting it.
Start Here: Your Free Planning Guide
If you are not quite ready to sit down with Annie, that is completely fine. A wonderful place to begin your Earth Day action is with our free Funeral Pre-Planning Workbook, available to download right now at muellermemorial.com/planning-workbook.
This digital guide walks you through the critical information that a funeral home, the state, and the Social Security Administration will need at the time of need. More importantly, it gives you a clear, structured way to record exactly what you want for your body and for your services—so that when the time comes, the people you love are not guessing.
A Generational Conversation Starter
For Gen X and Millennials, this workbook is also something else entirely: a conversation starter.
If you are thinking about end-of-life options for yourself, downloading the guide creates a natural opening to talk about it with your parents. You can say, "I was reading about green burial for Earth Day and started filling this out for myself—have you ever thought about what you might want?" That question, asked gently and with genuine curiosity, can open a door that many families never quite find the courage to walk through.
How to Celebrate Earth Day 2026
This Earth Day, we invite you to consider an action that goes far beyond a single afternoon. Planning your return to the Earth is a gift to the planet, a gift of clarity to your family, and—perhaps most surprisingly—a gift to yourself. There is real peace in knowing that your wishes are written down, funded, and in the hands of people who will honor them.
The Earth will be here. The question is simply how you plan to return to it.
Download your free Planning Workbook at
muellermemorial.com/planning-workbook, or schedule a conversation with Annie Saukko by calling 651-774-9797 or emailing
annie@muellermemorial.com. To explore Interra Green Burial by Mueller Memorial's sustainable options, visit
interraburial.com.
