GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Some in Newaygo County are excited about the idea of a conservancy green cemetery.
"I see the burial forest as a continuation of preserving that area for the butterflies and for all of the people to enjoy nature," said a person during the Brooks Township planning commission meeting Monday night.
However, some are not fond of the idea, raising concerns about the location of the site, and potential health-related impacts.
"I don't want to have to worry about the effects of the poisons from the human body getting into my water," said another neighbor against the site.
Peter and Annica Quakenbush are planning a cemetery that would look exactly like how a forest floor looks untouched by human hands.
The idea is to create a burial site with no tombstones and no mausoleums, just a person buried in the ground who is not embalmed and buried about four feet underground.
"The body is in biodegradable things," said Peter. "So that might be simple pine box goes into the ground. It might even be a burial shroud, which is very common in Muslim burial."
However, their plans were delayed last June after the Brooks Township board adopted an ordinance that would ban cemeteries in the township.
On Monday, the township's planning commission voted on amendments that would make any cemeteries whether public or private illegal.
The couple currently has a lawsuit pending against the township's board saying that the ordinance goes against their constitutional rights.
One commissioner during the meeting was hesitant at the "idea" of banning all cemeteries within the township.
"I think the churches should certainly have an opportunity to have input on this," said trustee Mark Pitzer.
The couple, who owns the land, said they've had a lot of interest in the cemetery that would have up to three thousand burial plots, with about 300 people on the list, and they're still optimistic that their idea will happen.
"It's really just a way for us to judge interest in this," said Peter. "So it's people we have their names, we have their numbers. And once this eventually goes through, we can contact them."
This decision is not final. It will have to go to the township board for approval at a later meeting, which Peter said they will be attending.
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