As interest in environmentally conscious living grows, so too does interest in environmentally conscious end-of-life practices. Natural burials and green cemeteries are an increasingly popular choice for individuals seeking a final resting place that honors the earth as much as the individual.
What Is a Green Cemetery?
Green cemeteries embrace eco-friendly burial practices that minimize environmental impact. This often means forgoing embalming fluids and chemical preservatives, avoiding concrete vaults, and opting for biodegradable caskets or burial shrouds. The goal? A burial that allows the body to return to the earth naturally.
Instead of polished granite headstones or manicured landscaping, green cemeteries often feature native vegetation, natural stone markers, and walking trails. Some even omit visible markers entirely, using GPS coordinates to track each burial location.
A Unique Approach: La Puerta Natural Burial Ground
Located just south of Albuquerque at the base of New Mexico’s Manzano Mountains, La Puerta Natural Burial Ground offers a breathtaking, sustainable alternative to traditional burial practices. The 40-acre property blends open space, native desert flora, and sweeping views of the surrounding landscape. But what truly sets La Puerta apart is its approach to honoring both the departed and the land.
Every burial site at La Puerta is recorded using precise GPS coordinates, ensuring a respectful and accurate record of the resting place. After burial, the land is carefully restored. Native plants may be introduced, and natural materials like local stone can be used to commemorate the site—if any visible marker is chosen at all.
With such a unique approach to burial, La Puerta needed a cemetery management solution as flexible and forward-thinking as its philosophy. That’s where CIMS comes in.
How CIMS Supports Natural Burial Practices
La Puerta Natural Burial Ground uses CIMS Gold, our powerful, cloud-based cemetery management software. With CIMS Gold, green cemeteries like La Puerta can:
- Track burials with GPS coordinates – Instead of assigning rigid plot numbers, La Puerta can identify and record each grave’s exact location in nature.
- Customize burial space layouts – CIMS Gold offers flexible mapping tools that accommodate the fluid, natural layout of green burial grounds.
- Assign different marker types – Whether a burial is unmarked, features a native plant, or includes a natural stone, CIMS can record the type of marker or memorial used.
- Store all records digitally – La Puerta keeps digital records of burials, customer information, and site history, ensuring transparency and long-term stewardship.
CIMS Gold is designed to meet the needs of every cemetery—no matter how traditional or unconventional. With customizable packages and GIS-integrated mapping tools, CIMS allows cemetery managers to work with nature, not against it.
A Sustainable Future, Supported by CIMS
La Puerta is part of a growing movement that challenges traditional burial practices in favor of something more sustainable, more personal, and more harmonious with the natural world. CIMS is proud to support La Puerta and other green cemeteries in their mission to provide meaningful, environmentally responsible burial options.
Whether your cemetery spans hundreds of years or is just beginning to chart a new, greener path, CIMS offers the tools you need to manage your records, serve your families, and honor your land.