An open field in the Eastlawn Funeral Home is the first of its kind in Springfield. It's the greenest burial site in the city. No, it's not a special type of grass, the "green" there goes on under the surface.

"No vaults, no metal of any kind," says Lenny Cope of the Klinger-Cope Funeral Home.

Taking "dust-to-dust" a little more seriously than most, Klinger Cope offers green burials. It's a new concenpt in Springfield.

"A green burial is a burial that leaves minimum impact on the environment," says Cope.

The most important part of sustainability six feet under is the casket.

"This casket is one-hundred percent biodegradable. It's made of bamboo, seagrass, and has a linen lining," says Cope.

It's complete with a bamboo headrest.

Don't worry about early decomposition, now there's even biodegradable embalming fluid. It'll just cost a little more green, because the fluid is more expensive and more is required.

"You can have a green burial, but still have a traditional funeral service - we can still have a visitation as well as a funeral service," says Cope.

At the burial site, there can't be a vault for a "true green funeral." If the cemetary requires a vault, some will let you put it in face down, without a lid so the casket is still touching earth.

"It's a near-green burial is what we consider that," says Cope.

"We need to preserve the earth," says environmentally conscience Republic resident Sandy Carroll.

Now environmentalists can can finally rest in peace.

"We come from nature, and we might as well go back," says Carroll.

Klinger-Cope also offers "green" transportation from the funeral home to the cemetary with a horse-drawn carriage.

Contact: dmagditch@kspr.com