A Choice Cremation and Funeral Services

J. - For centuries Jeffries and Keates Life Celebration Funeral Home has offered burials and cremations, but now they are adding a third — green — option.“I’ve had families say, 'Well, I’m not crazy about being embalmed, but I’m certainly not crazy about being cremated, is there a third choice?'” said Andrew Hoffman, funeral director at Jeffries and Keates Life Celebration Funeral Home. So he found that third choice. “What’s good for one person is not necessarily good for another," said Hoffman. "So, a lot of people are finding value in having eco-friendly funerals and going back to Mother Nature.” Spring Into Health  That type of service is a Green Burial, the person can choose to not be embalmed or have it done using eco-friendly products. “Which is a natural way of being preserved for a very brief amount of time, then services can be held and the individual can be placed in a green cemetery where the individual is placed in a biodegradable container, no vault, and is placed directly into the earth to return to nature,” said Hoffman.     And when it comes to the actual burial. “Everything is dug by hand. We don’t even use our hearse to go into the cemetery. We pull it on the cart to the place, which again is in this beautiful forest,” said Hoffman. Just last month the Northfield-based funeral home received the Green Burial certification from the Green Burial Council, making them the only certified funeral home in Atlantic County. The service can be used in burials or in cremations. “Now cremation, theoretically, is not a green option because it does take a lot of energy to cremate someone," said Hoffman. "But again, what do you do with the cremated remains afterwards?” If you’re looking to scatter your loved one’s remains they offer biodegradable containers. “Also, we have certain urns now where the ashes can actually be used to...