A Conservation Cemetery
Pin Oak Preserve
Our Goal
Pin Oak Preserve will create space for the vibrant and diverse community of Southern Michigan to have access to these sustainable and affordable practices. Burial at Pin Oak will be open to all—to people of any faith, to those without faith practices and to those with unique cultural traditions.
Once we obtain land, our goal is to become a certified conservation cemetery with the Green Burial Council. We are also in conversation with key partners in end-of-life care. This is a process that takes time but we welcome any questions you have along the way.
What is a Conservation Cemetery?
Both the Green Burial Council and Conservation Burial Alliance are wonderful resources for learning about natural burial and conservation cemeteries. Conservation cemeteries are places of reverence in nature that entwine life, death, and the land. By their forests and meadows, they are living memorials and expand protected lands through conservation burial. We love Lee Webster’s definition:
Conservation cemeteries are a vehicle for transformative experiences that include direct participation before and during a funeral, and ongoing opportunities for engagement through life-affirming activities such as bird-watching, hiking, weddings, baptisms, family picnic days, community educational events, and much more.
-Lee Webster
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The Meaning Behind "Pin Oak"
This name is currently "standing in" for a name that will likely reveal itself once we acquire land. We plan to name the conservation cemetery in a way that meaningfully ties it to the actual land in which these ancient and beautiful activities will take place.
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The name actually refers to the Northern Pin Oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis). However, because we wanted to keep the name simple and free from geographical terms (and liked the alliteration) we chose Pin Oak Preserve. Where the Pin Oak prefers moist soil, the Northern Pin Oak prefers dry and sandy soil more suitable for natural burial. It’s also the tree under which one of Jeremiah Commons’ founders (Tony) felt a deep peace and renewed vigor to build this restorative communal space.​
Why Natural Burial
“Natural Burial” or “Green Burial” is a contemporary way to name the beautiful and ancient practice of interring loved ones in the earth free of chemicals and non-biodegradeable materials.
Natural burial provides a way to care for our loved ones who have passed with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources. “That means no embalming, no liners or vaults, and using biodegradable containers, whether caskets, shrouds or nothing at all.” (From Green Burial Defined with the Green Burial Council)