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Episode Notes
What if your final resting place could help restore nature instead of harm it? In this episode of the Buried in Work podcast, licensed funeral director, certified life cycle celebrant, and founder of the Colorado Burial Preserve, Emily B. Miller, joins us to explore how green burial is more than an eco-friendly alternative—it’s a return to something profoundly human.
Emily shares her journey from studying world religions to becoming a national advocate for natural burial. As a board member of the Green Burial Council, she unpacks the truths behind traditional funeral practices, the emotional power of ritual, and why letting go of embalming, vaults, and commercialized funerals might actually help us heal.
Key Takeaways
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What green burial really is and how it differs from traditional burial
- Why many “legal requirements” around death care are actually company policies
- The history behind embalming and how funeral practices evolved after the Civil War
- How rituals like placing the first and last shovel of dirt can help with grief
- What the Green Burial Council does to support education and standards
- Why returning to ancestral practices could be the future of meaningful death care
Show Links
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Learn more about the Colorado Burial Preserve: https://www.coloradoburialpreserve.com/
- Explore the Green Burial Council: https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/
About Emily
Emily B. Miller is a licensed funeral director, certified life cycle celebrant, and the founder of the Colorado Burial Preserve, a nature-focused cemetery dedicated to green and natural burial practices. With a background in world religions and a deep commitment to sustainable end-of-life care, Emily is leading a movement to bring burial back to the earth—literally and spiritually.
She also serves on the board of the Green Burial Council, where she helps set national standards and promote education around environmentally responsible funeral practices. Through her work, Emily offers families a way to honor their loved ones with dignity, connection, and care for the planet.
When she’s not guiding ceremonies or advocating for policy change, you’ll find her nurturing native plant habitats and supporting others through some of life’s most sacred transitions.
