Maryland families planning ahead now face a choice that didn’t exist a year ago. Aquamation and human composting joined green burial as legal options in October 2024, expanding what environmentally conscious disposition looks like in practice.
The Green Death Care Options Act, signed by Governor Wes Moore, legalized two water and soil-based processes that accelerate natural decomposition. These join traditional green burial, which has been available for years but gained new attention as families seek an authentic return to earth.
Understanding new laws securing burial rights for natural options means grasping how these three methods differ and which aligns with your values.
What Maryland’s 2024 Law Changed
On May 9, 2024, Governor Wes Moore signed legislation that expanded end-of-life choices for Maryland residents. The Green Death Care Options Act made Maryland the ninth state to legalize Natural Organic Reduction, commonly called human composting. The law also clarified regulations for alkaline hydrolysis, known as aquamation or water cremation. Both methods became effective in October 2024.
Green burial itself was already legal. What changed is the addition of two alternative processes that use water or controlled composting to accelerate decomposition.
This legislative shift reflects a national trend. As of 2025, thirteen states have legalized Natural Organic Reduction. The National Funeral Directors Association reports that 68 percent of Americans express interest in eco-friendly funeral options, up from 56 percent in 2021. The law creates regulatory frameworks ensuring these practices meet health and safety standards, including third-party laboratory testing and compliance with EPA standards for biosolids.
Families now have three distinct pathways for environmentally conscious disposition, each with different processes, timelines, and outcomes.
How Aquamation Actually Works
Aquamation uses water and chemistry to break down the body. The process goes by several names, including alkaline hydrolysis, water cremation, and flameless cremation, but the science remains the same.
The body is placed in a stainless steel pressure vessel. A solution of 95 percent water and 5 percent alkali fills the vessel. The mixture is heated to temperatures between 160 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit under pressure, which prevents boiling. The alkaline solution accelerates the same natural decomposition that occurs in burial, just dramatically faster.
The process takes four to eight hours. Soft tissue breaks down completely into a sterile liquid containing peptides, amino acids, sugars, and salts. Only bone material remains, which is then dried and processed into a fine white powder.
What families receive resembles cremated ashes but appears brighter white and has about 20 percent greater volume. These remains can be kept in an urn, scattered, buried, or divided among family members.
The liquid byproduct is sterile and non-toxic. It gets discharged into the wastewater system, where treatment facilities often separate organic elements for use as agricultural fertilizer. The process requires about 350 gallons of water per body.
Environmental impact:
Aquamation uses 90 percent less energy than flame cremation. Traditional cremation burns fossil fuels at temperatures exceeding 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit for two to three hours, releasing approximately 573 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Aquamation produces no direct greenhouse gas emissions and avoids releasing mercury from dental fillings or other pollutants that flame cremation volatilizes.
The process does require significant water, though that water returns to the treatment system rather than being consumed. Energy is still needed to heat the vessel and operate equipment, but the footprint remains far smaller than flame-based methods.
How Natural Organic Reduction Works
Natural Organic Reduction transforms human remains into nutrient-rich soil through controlled composting. The process mimics what happens on a forest floor when organic material decomposes, but in a contained environment optimized for safety and efficiency.
The body is placed in a large reusable vessel, typically a steel cylinder measuring 8 feet long and 4 feet tall. Organic materials surround the body in carefully measured ratios. Wood chips provide carbon, alfalfa provides nitrogen, and straw provides insulation. Naturally occurring microbes that exist on plant materials and in human bodies begin breaking down organic matter.
The microbial activity generates heat, raising the vessel’s internal temperature to 130 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature must be sustained for at least 72 continuous hours to eliminate pathogens, per EPA standards. Some vessels rotate periodically to improve oxygenation and ensure thorough decomposition.
The body remains in the vessel for 30 to 60 days. Once soft tissue has fully broken down, the material is removed and placed in curing bins. The soil cures for an additional three to five weeks. The result is approximately one cubic yard of nutrient-dense soil, weighing between 500 and 1,000 pounds.
Bones do not fully decompose during the vessel phase. After removal, they are dried and reduced to fine powder by equipment, then mixed back into the soil to balance nutrients and make minerals available to plants.
Environmental impact:
Natural Organic Reduction uses 87 percent less energy than traditional burial or cremation. For every person who chooses this method over conventional options, approximately one metric ton of carbon pollution is prevented. Rather than releasing carbon as greenhouse gas, the process sequesters carbon in soil.
The soil can be used in gardens, donated to conservation forests, or returned to the earth in ways that nourish new growth. Some facilities partner with conservation organizations to use the soil for habitat restoration projects.
What families receive:
Families typically receive a portion of the soil created, with the option to donate the remainder to land conservation efforts. Some facilities allow families to decorate vessels during the process or participate in laying-in ceremonies. The vessel remains accessible for quiet reflection, similar to visiting a gravesite.
State regulations require testing for heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, and selenium. Some states prohibit using the soil for food crops as a precautionary measure.
How Traditional Green Burial Works
Green burial returns the body directly to earth without chemical preservation or non-biodegradable materials. This is the form of burial practiced for thousands of years before modern funeral industry conventions took hold.
At Serenity Ridge, Maryland’s first exclusively natural burial cemetery, the process honors both the person and the land.
The unembalmed body is placed in a biodegradable container: a simple wood casket, wicker casket, or cotton shroud. No concrete vaults, metal caskets, or synthetic materials are permitted. The body is buried directly in the earth at a natural burial ground where decomposition occurs naturally over months to years through soil microbes, insects, and biological processes.
Native plants, wildflowers, and trees mark graves instead of tall monuments. GPS coordinates track burial locations for families who wish to visit. The land is preserved in its natural state in perpetuity as a nature preserve.
Families can participate in closing the grave, adding soil, and planting native species. The burial becomes part of the landscape, integrated into the forest or meadow rather than separated from it. Walking trails wind through the grounds. Wildlife moves freely. Seasons change the face of the land.
Environmental impact:
Green burial produces zero emissions. No fossil fuels are burned; no chemicals enter the soil, and no concrete is manufactured or transported. The practice actively restores habitat and creates permanent conservation land.
Traditional embalming introduces formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals into the ground. Concrete vaults require energy-intensive manufacturing. Metal caskets consume natural resources. Green burial avoids all of these impacts while preserving open space that might otherwise be developed.
The Green Burial Council estimates there are now 470 green burial cemeteries across the United States and Canada, reflecting growing recognition that burial can support conservation rather than consume resources.
What families experience:
The body remains in Maryland at a specific location that families can visit. The gravesite sits within a nature preserve where trails, wildlife, and changing seasons create a living memorial. Rather than a manicured cemetery lawn, families return to meadows, forests, and natural beauty.
Serenity Ridge is Green Burial Council certified, ensuring practices meet national standards for environmental burial grounds. The cemetery also functions as an arboretum and educational space, offering tours and events that connect the public with nature.
Comparing the Three Methods Side by Side
Understanding the practical differences helps clarify which method aligns with your values and circumstances.
Timeframe:
- Aquamation: 4 to 8 hours
- Natural Organic Reduction: 30 to 90 days total
- Green Burial: Months to years at natural pace
What remains:
- Aquamation: Bone powder, portable
- Natural Organic Reduction: One cubic yard of soil, portable
- Green Burial: Body stays in the earth at the burial site
Current Maryland availability:
- Aquamation: Legal, no in-state facilities yet
- Natural Organic Reduction: Legal, no in-state facilities yet
- Green Burial: Available now at Serenity Ridge
Environmental approach:
- Aquamation: Water and chemistry accelerate decomposition, the lowest energy cremation option
- Natural Organic Reduction: Microbes and heat create soil, carbon sequestration
- Green Burial: Natural decomposition in earth, zero emissions, permanent conservation
Estimated cost:
- Aquamation: $4,000 to $7,000 plus transport
- Natural Organic Reduction: $3,000 to $7,000 plus transport
- Green Burial at Serenity Ridge: Approximately $3,800 to $3,850
Family involvement:
- Aquamation: Limited, body at facility during brief process
- Natural Organic Reduction: Some facilities allow visits during vessel phase, decoration
- Green Burial: Full participation possible in grave closing, planting, ongoing visits
Which Method Aligns With Your Values
Each pathway serves different priorities. Consider what matters most to your family.
Aquamation makes sense when:
You prefer portable remains similar to cremation ashes. You want the lowest energy alternative to flame cremation. Speed matters, as the process completes in hours rather than weeks or months. You’re comfortable with chemical acceleration of natural decomposition. You don’t need a physical gravesite to visit. You plan to scatter or divide remains among family members.
Natural Organic Reduction makes sense when:
You want to create soil that actively nourishes new life. Carbon sequestration appeals to your environmental values. You like the idea of remains used in gardens or donated to conservation projects. You’re comfortable with controlled above-ground decomposition in a vessel. A timeline of two to three months works for your family. You appreciate the science of optimized composting.
Traditional green burial makes sense when:
“This path is ideal if you seek the most direct, authentic earth-to-earth return. Finding solace in a specific, physical place in nature to visit is often a top priority for families choosing this method. Beyond personal connection, this option ensures zero emissions and involves no processing beyond natural decomposition. It is also the only choice currently available immediately within Maryland. By selecting a natural burial, you actively contribute to permanent land conservation and allow the body to return to the earth at nature’s own unhurried pace. Many families also value the ability to participate personally in burial rituals, such as closing the grave or planting native species. Ultimately, this choice allows you to envision a resting place that is fully integrated into a living forest or meadow.”
Green burial at Serenity Ridge offers something the other methods cannot. A physical place in Maryland where the body remains. Where family can walk trails, observe wildlife, and witness seasonal changes. The burial becomes part of a living landscape rather than a process that concludes with portable remains.
Availability and Practical Considerations
Maryland’s new law creates legal permission, but infrastructure takes time to develop.
For green burial:
Serenity Ridge, located in Windsor Mill, provides immediate access to natural burial in a dedicated conservation cemetery. The cemetery is Green Burial Council certified and operates as Maryland’s first exclusively natural burial ground. Tours of the grounds are available so families can see the burial areas, nature preserve, and understand how the process works.
The cemetery provides biodegradable caskets and shrouds, or you can supply your own as long as materials meet natural burial standards. Serenity Ridge works with all funeral homes and does not require you to use a specific provider. Burial can typically be arranged quickly once paperwork is complete.
For aquamation or Natural Organic Reduction:
No Maryland providers currently offer these services. Families interested in these options must work with facilities in neighboring states.
You can work with a Maryland funeral home to coordinate the transport of the body to an out-of-state facility and the return of remains. Or you can contact an out-of-state facility directly and handle arrangements yourself. Either approach adds transportation costs and logistical complexity. Timing depends on distance, facility availability, and coordination between providers.
The nearest aquamation and Natural Organic Reduction facilities are likely in states like New York, Delaware, or Pennsylvania. Research that states have operating providers, not just states where the process is legal. Legalization does not guarantee that facilities exist.
As demand grows, Maryland facilities may develop. Until then, families choosing these methods should expect additional planning, coordination, and expense related to out-of-state transport.
Conclusion
Maryland’s expanded options give families real choice in how they return to earth. Aquamation and Natural Organic Reduction offer innovation in sustainable disposition, each with distinct processes and outcomes. Traditional green burial provides the direct path, placing the body in earth where natural processes proceed at their own pace.
The method you choose depends on what matters most: portability of remains, speed of process, carbon impact, or connection to a specific place in nature. At Serenity Ridge, green burial keeps that connection close, creating permanent conservation land while honoring loved ones in Maryland’s first natural burial cemetery.