Solace Working to Make Death Greener

by Rebecca Roberts Galloway | Apr 19, 2021

The majority of Americans now choose cremation, in part because of its smaller impact on land and materials. Cremation can be a “greener” choice than burial because no embalming chemicals, casket or plot are needed.

But while cremation is an improvement compared to other end-of-life arrangements, it still uses a lot of energy.  Solace Cremation is proud to invest in carbon offsets to help mitigate our environmental impact.  We do this at no cost to the families we serve.

A carbon offset is a quantified reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. It is created when one metric ton of greenhouse gas is captured, avoided or destroyed in order to compensate for an equivalent emission made somewhere else. By investing in carbon offsets, businesses like ours can help finance emission reduction or removal projects.

Our investment makes each cremation carbon neutral and has the environmental equivalency of growing approximately 3,000 seedlings for 10 years, taking more than 30 cars off the road for a year or not using almost 400 barrels of oil.

We’ve partnered with 3Degrees, a firm that helps organizations around the world achieve renewable energy and decarbonization goals. The revenue from the sale of carbon offsets goes to support the development and on-going maintenance of emissions reduction and removal projects that range from forestry conservation to technology that captures gas before it is released at locations like landfills or farms. 

Solace recently doubled down on our initial investment, helping fund renewable, clean energy through the Demsey Ridge Wind Farm in Oklahoma. The project’s 66 wind turbines create enough energy to power 46,000 homes and remove nearly 225,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

In celebration of Earth Day, we wanted to share our commitment to making death a little greener. 

In addition to our investment in carbon offsets, Solace, working with our partners:

• Recycles metals from medical devices

• Enables telecommuting for our employees

• Does not require in-person meetings

• Recycles office waste (paper, plastic, metal)

Learn more about 3Degrees carbon offset projects on the company’s website. Learn more about Solace’s commitment to carbon neutral cremation here.

Photo by NASA