INTEGRATED J. HENRY STUHR FUNERAL HOMES
PERSONAS
PROFILE Established in 1865, J. Henry Stuhr Funeral Chapels and Crematories is the oldest continually family-owned and operated business in South Carolina. The Charleston-based company In January 2012 became the first funeral service provider in state to be certified by the Green Burial Council, a nonprofit organization that encourages eco-friendly alternatives to modern interment practices. jhenrystuhr.com
COMPETITORS HYBRID FUNERAL OPERATORS in the Charleston area including Simplicity Lowcountry Cremation & Burial (with their very competitive pricing) and McAlister-Smith Funeral Home and Cremation. LOCAL CEMETERY PARTNERS including Charleston Cremation Center & Funeral Home and W.M. Smith-McNeal Funeral Home.
ELIZABETH RHODES
20-year-old studying Psychology with a minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies at the College of Charleston. Grew up in a conservative, rural town, and attending university has exposed her to environmental issues and practices in sustainability. She is already planning a green burial as she is very conscious of lowering her impact on the planet. She’s been vegan for 5 months now, and spends a lot of her time hiking and exploring around Charleston with her dogs.
STEVEN ALMAN
STRATEGIC SUSTAINABILITY GOALS
CHALLENGE
+ Returning the deceased back to nature and naturally recycle into a new life. + Burial activity happens without the use traditional embalming fluids and non-biodegradable materials. + Encourages the use of burial grounds as means of restoration of natural areas through their partnership with Greenhaven Preserve, a natural burial cemetery located in Eastover, SC. + Certified by the Green Burial Council, a non-profit organization that sets standards for green burial in the U.S.
SIMPLE: It’s a fact. Though the increasingly popular natural burial method is considered neo-traditional by most, it’s actually the world’s preferred end-of-life ritual. And, depending on your preferences, the uncomplicated and unpretentious process often offers more value than a conventional burial. MEANINGFUL: Natural burial offers different meanings to different people. Religious traditionalists. Outdoor enthusiasts and environmentalists. Regardless, though, each tends to understand and value man’s place in the so-called Circle of Life. They want to feel part of something bigger and intrinsically eternal than themselves. Each tends to desire the authentically natural, deeply personal and uniquely uplifting memorials in which Greenhaven Preserve specializes. SUSTAINABLE: Their customers and their families appreciate the intent to preserve acre after acre of nature’s pure brilliance. They take comfort in the fact that green burials are chemical free, use less energy and create less waste than modern burials. They value the core commitment to good stewardship and our mission to sustain the sacred ground upon which Greenhaven Preserve lies.
64-year-old retired Tactical Aircraft Maintenance worker for the U.S. Airforce. Seeking a simpler and less expensive alternative to traditional burial practices, while also adhering to his Jewish faith. Pragmatic about death after the passing of his wife Mary Ellen in 2013, and wants to limit the burden of burial responsibilities and cost for his two children, Sara and Paul. Joined the local chapter of the Sierra Club in Charleston to give back to the community and has picked up biking again to stay active in his retirement.
AUDIO ANALYSIS
CONSUMER-FACING STRATEGY
CHALLENGES + Lack of awareness about the science behind the green burial. + Region-specific soil, water, plant, animal habitat. + Recording the location of burial of the loved one due to lack of permanent monument. + Addressing cultural and religious norms and practices *Wicker Casket
ASPECTS
UPSTREAM
DOWNSTREAM
ISSUES
OPPORTUNITIES
Emissions from energy use, during cremation and transportation of remains and caskets, carbon emissions from cremation
Supplier and vendor emissions from manufacture, distribution, and delivery of products and services
Emissions from customer (family and friends) traveling to attend services, visit cemeteries and scatter ashes
Carbon tax and regulations on emissions (toxins emitted in cremation)
Partner with carbon offset NGO’s, discourage cremation, carbon capture, carbon sequestration and scrubbing, end reliance on fossil fuels
Increasing energy consumption and volatile cost
Energy source use of suppliers, vendors and manufacturers
Energy use from customers and maintenance of the cemeteries
Energy prices and access to renewable energy sources
Require renewable energy use upstream and downstream, energy efficiency database and collaborate competitively with other funeral companies
Contamination from funeral home, body prep and cremation services
Contamination from production and manufacture services
Contaminated runoff from cemeteries Water quality, reduced access and (burials and pesticides and fertilizers increased prices used for maintenance)
Land use and facility footprints
Material sourcing (ie. caskets), cemetery land use and supplier facility footprints
Use of concrete and other nonbiodegradable materials for burial, cemetery maintenance
Access to land, emotional attachment to tradition burials and upkeep, negative affects to local ecosystems
Establish more natural burial grounds, goat mowers, encourage bees and other wildlife, composting on facilities upstream & downstream, ban the use of artificial flowers
Chemicals used during embalming, body prep and cremation process
Chemicals used in manufacturing
Release of chemicals and toxins (mercury from teeth fillings, plastic from plastic surgeries) during cremation, break down of caskets, pesticides and fertilizers used for maintenance
Toxicity to humans and ecosystems, increased regulations, cultural norms of embalming
Refrigerated tables, dry ice (takes CO2 out of the air) + fans, natural embalming or no embalming, no cremation
Air Pollution
Emissions from energy use during cremation and transportation of remains and caskets
Emissions from production and manufacture facilities
Emissions from customer (family and friends) traveling transportation to attend services, visit cemeteries and scatter ashes; CO2 and mercury emissions from cremation
Carbon tax and regulations on emissions (toxins emissions in cremation), negative health impacts, growing consumer concern
Home funeral or just graveside services to reduce transportation emissions, no cremation
Waste Mgmt.
Single-use products, food and floral waste from funeral services, fluids & water waste during body prep.
Production processes, packaging and supplier efficiency
Food and other solid waste from funeral services, bodily waste from preparation for burial
Reduction in access to landfills, regulations in bodily waste removal
Eliminate artificial flowers and reduce cut flowers, have potted flowers to buy at cemetery site, composting on site, rental casket
Ozone Layer
Use of CFC refrigerants and air conditioning in preserving body before burial
CFC Refrigerant or air conditioning used in production facilities or transportation services
Air conditioning used during funeral services or transportation
Increased regulations on CFCs
Creation of dry ice for refrigeration, reduction in transportation and air conditioning use
Contributes to ocean acidification in carbon emissions during cremation, fluid wastes during body prep.
Manufacturing pollution into water ways, risk of oil spills + other runoff from reliance on fossil fuels
Pollution runoff from transportation to and from funeral services from customers reliance on fossil fuels
Increased carbon regulations and carbon taxes
Use of toxic remediation strategies, shared economy with rental casket for funeral services
Clear cutting land for funeral home facilities
Clear cutting land for cemeteries and manufacturing plants, wood harvested for caskets
Continued risk of deforestation due to perpetuation of cultural norms
Increased regulations and fines for tree removal, risk of worsening soil erosion
Sustainably harvest wood and eco-friendly caskets, memorial tree planting, encourage natural burial grounds instead of traditional cemeteries and expand conservation burial
Climate Change Energy Water Biodiversity Chemicals + Toxins
Oceans Deforestation
Grey water recycling,water efficiency database and collaborate competitively with other funeral companies, natural water capture for lawn care (irrigation), eliminate body bathing
SUST 713: INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIO 1: DESIGN LEADERSHIP | PROFESSOR SCOTT BOYLSTON | JENNA BOWER, SCOTT CROTZER, KANIKA GOLANI, JOHN STOREY